The Phoenix Child by Malli
by Dur'id the Druid
Summary: A reposting of the story by Malli. More chapters posted as I edit them for . See my Author Bio for more details. COMPLEATE
1. Prologue

The Phoenix Child

Story by Malli

Webdesign by CrystalCheyenne

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CrystalCheyenne's Notes:

Thank you all who responded for my plea to get this story after I found out about Malli's accident. Special thanks for Brianna who send me the whole unfinished story.

All those notes about changes in the Buffy universe I've gathered from Malli's original text and put them on this page.

If someone is interested to finish this story, please contacted me, so I could put those coming chapters here also.

I think everyone knows that this story belongs to Malli's, but the web designing is all mine.

I've Beta-read the story, and I've corrected some minor grammar things. So, don't kick my ass about those changes. They are so small you won't even find them. But mostly this story is it's original suit.

Thank you. Enjoy reading Malli's fabulous story. Contact me if you have something to say. My e-mail addy is:

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Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Harry Potter, they belong to Joss Whedon and J.K. Rowling.

Timeline: Takes place during the 5th book of Harry Potter, a rewrite of sorts of the Phoenix. After season seven of Buffy.

Pairings: Buffy / Sirius , Xander / Anya

Changes in the Buffy universe:

1) There were a few more years before graduation and the Glory fiasco, and another year between seasons six and seven-just to make them older by the end of season seven. The whole Glory thing didn't happen until Buffy was 23, not 20.

2) Kennedy is just a rebound and won't be showing up at all.

3) Dawn was not supposed to jump into the portal, as it would have caused chaos, therefore, Buffy died and afterward, Dawn was no longer needed, so the PTB reverted her back into energy and took her wherever they needed to take her, and destroyed all the fake memories everyone had of her-the real ones were kept.

4) "Dead Things" happened right after "Normal Again" and before "Seeing Red."

5) Giles came back to Sunnydale after the events of Normal Again-he decided his life in England was too mundane: he missed being helpful to the world, he missed his "children," and he didn't have much of a life left in England after being away for so long.

6) The events of Season Seven happened directly after "Grave." There was no summer free of demons, Willow and Giles didn't go to England, and instead she got help surrounded by her friends and loved ones. The whole, Giles comes back with power from the coven thing, is just disregarded totally. That's all for now. Anything else will be explained later in the story.

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PROLOGUE

With a new moon hanging above, the sky was dark and unwelcoming. Thunderclouds could be seen rolling in from the west, blocking out the twinkling stars. The streets were deserted, as they frequently were at this time of night. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named grew stronger every day and people foolishly believed that they would be safer locked in their houses after the sun went down. Most of the wizarding world lived in fear, because the powerful wizard enjoys terrorizing both the wizard and muggle worlds.

Instead of the usual feelings of joy associated with the trip home, wizards and witches were anxious and afraid. They feared seeing the Dark Mark hovering over the remains of their houses, their families, and their lives.

It was a dark time indeed, as there was no hope in the world; no one had the power to defeat the dark wizard, not even Albus Dumbledore.

But tonight, two words, a simple name uttered from a Seer's lips, would set in motion a series of events foretold thousands of years ago, a prophecy long forgotten by all but a select few..

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"My Lord," a man said submissively, kneeling before an imposing figure cloaked in black robes.

"Did you find the Seer?" the figure asked, his red eyes boring into the man's vulnerable form, daring him to bring bad news.

"Yes, my Lord," the man replied with a note of relief tingeing his words. A malicious smile slowly formed on the thin lips of the erect individual.

"And?" he prompted impatiently.

"It's the Potter child," the man quickly offered, knowing first hand of his master's infamous temper.

"James Potter? How unsurprising. The Potters have always been a thorn in my side," the Dark Lord hissed angrily.

"No, it's the younger one," he corrected. "Elizabeth."

"A girl?" he questioned in disbelief. "A girl is going to be responsible for the fate of the world?"

"The seer said Elizabeth Potter," the man confirmed, his head still lowered toward the ground.

"How disappointing. I thought this would be a challenge." The Dark Lord sighed and sat down in his high-backed silver chair, which was resting slightly behind him. An idea suddenly manifested in the wizard's dark and twisted mind. "However, I could use her. If she becomes as powerful as foretold, the damage she could do would be remarkable." Warming up to the idea, he quickly continued, "She will be much easier to break than anyone else; she is just a girl. A little. Persuasion should help to turn her loyalties."

"An excellent idea, my Lord. By killing her you would only rid us of a possible enemy, but by turning her, you make her an ally."

"Assemble a team. Find her and bring her back to me tonight," the dark lord ordered. "Kill anyone who gets in your way but do not kill her. She shall become my protégé." With that, the man quickly got up and left, unwilling to bring about any displeasure in his master. There was no matching the wrath of Lord Voldemort.

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That same night, in a peaceful neighbourhood in London, a scream broke the silence of the night.

"James!" Elizabeth yelled amid howls of laughter. All she had wanted was a glass of pumpkin juice. Instead, she ended up on the receiving end of one of her brother's jokes. Again. Now she was vibrant shade of orange, with purple polka dots and green horns, which clashed with her blonde hair.

"I didn't make you drink that," James said innocently, holding his hands up, trying to keep his laughter in check.

"You're supposed to label anything that you make before you store it," she replied furiously.

"At least we didn't get around to adding a tail to the mix, Buffy," Sirius said, using the nickname he'd given her when they were little.

"Yeah, you only got the horns," Peter snickered.

Buffy's eyes widened as she put her hands to her head. "Horns?" Buffy ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

"Three, two, one," Remus counted, and right on cue, another scream vibrated through the house. The door flew back open and Buffy marched right back towards her brother.

"Fix it now," Buffy said, her voice low and dangerous. The laughter died and the smiles slipped off their faces. The four friends looked nervously at each other, having each been on Buffy's bad side before. They learned a long time ago to stop using her for all their pranks; she could give just as well as she could receive. It really was an accident that Buffy drank their potion; James had just needed to store it for a little while before they could add anything more and in his excitement, he forgot to label it.

"Buff, we haven't had the time to make an antidote yet," James said slowly. As Buffy's eyes narrowed, he continued quickly, "but we'll go right now with what's left of the potion and get you back to normal in no time." The boys nodded and started to file out the door towards James' room.

However, James couldn't resist one last parting shot. At the kitchen's doorway, he turned around with a small smirk on his face and said, "Happy Birthday, Buffy." A glass shattered on the wall next to his head, and he ducked into the hallway.

"I'm sure they'll find a solution in no time," Lily said from her place by the sink. She had come with Buffy to get some juice but had wisely stayed out of the resulting chaos between her best friend and her boyfriend. "And if they don't come up with something by the time school starts next week, well, they say black goes with everything." Lily smiled softly, letting her friend know she was just joking.

Buffy groaned and sat down at the table and rested her head on her hands. "I've got horns!" she moaned.

"You're orange with purple polka dots and you're worried about the horns?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They're green! And pointy!" Buffy exclaimed, as it that explained everything.

"Ahhh, I see," Lily said, clearly not understanding.

"How in the world did James get to be Head Boy? I mean, you I can understand, but James." Buffy said.

"I never realized you thought I was Head Boy material. I mean, I never thought I gave off boy-vibes." Lily joked.

"Head Boy, Head Girl, same thing," Buffy mumbled with a wave of her hand.

"I doubt you'll say that when you're Head Girl," Lily told her.

"What are you going on about? Head Girl? Right."

"Why not? You're at the top of your class and you just got made a Prefect. I think it's a distinct possibility," Lily said. "Of course, if you really want to be Head Boy, I'm sure Sirius will understand."

"Hey!" Buffy said with a slight blush creeping up at the mention of her boyfriend.

"So what did he get you for your birthday?" Lily asked, changing the subject. "Aside from some green horns?"

"Nothing yet," Buffy said. "I think he's waiting until he can sneak away from James. You know how he gets."

"Yeah, his best friend is dating his baby sister. It's a tough place to be, but family comes before friendship and he'll always be way over protective of you."

Silence descended over the kitchen and they could hear small explosions and yelps spewing from the closed door down the hall. Buffy groaned again while Lily chuckled quietly.

"I've got to get home, Buffy," Lily said, standing up. "I'm already past my curfew." The two girls walked out of the kitchen into the adjacent living room where the fireplace was located. Lily hugged Buffy before throwing some floo powder into the raging fire. "Happy Birthday, Buffy," she said, and disappeared in the green flames.

Buffy walked back to the kitchen, intent on cleaning up the shattered glass. It was her 15th birthday and she was about to enter her 5th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her brother, James, and his three friends were all still 16 and would be entering their 7th , and final, year, along with Lily. Buffy didn't know what was going to happen the year after. It's not like she didn't have any friends in her year, it's just that her brother, her boyfriend, and her best friend were all graduating. Remus too. And Peter, well, she never really liked Peter. There was something about him that just rubbed her the wrong way, and she didn't hide her feelings too well. Remus, James, and Sirius all knew how she felt about him, but he was their friend, they couldn't desert him. They just always made a point to keep Peter away from her, and they never left them alone together. Not that she was around them that much. In fact, they were always off doing something together, usually up to no good, but they were always around the house during the summer vacation so she got to know them all really well. Remus was like another brother to her.

Buffy and Sirius had been going out for a little under a year now, but they had known each other all their lives. Sirius and James had been best friends practically from birth. And then Sirius started living with them after his 5th year when he ran away from home. He really hated his family and was planning on getting a place of his own once he turned 17. But for now he was sleeping in their guest bedroom and Buffy was able to see him quite often. The only rule her parents have is that he isn't allowed in her room with her door closed. Buffy smirked as she thought of how many times they broke that rule.

Her parents were both called away earlier that night on 'emergency business', most likely having to do with Voldemort. It's been happening more and more lately. Anyway, her parents felt bad about leaving her on her birthday, so they invited some people over. Remus and Peter were staying the night, as was Sirius obviously, but Lily's parents didn't want her sleeping over at her boyfriend's house without adult supervision. So Buffy was left with a houseful of boys and green horns.

Buffy quickly muttered a spell, fixing the broken glass in seconds. Since Voldemort came to power, the ban on magic outside of school was lifted, allowing the children to protect themselves if needed.

"Ha, Ha!" James laughed after a particularly loud explosion. The door opened and the boys trooped out, James in the lead holding a vial of bright blue solution. Smoke was billowing off the top and foam was spilling over the edge.

Buffy lifted an eyebrow. "You expect me to drink that?"

"You want the horns gone, right?" Remus asked.

Buffy quickly weighted her options and decided that whatever they gave her couldn't be worse than horns. She accepted the vial from James's outstretched hand and downed the contents in one gulp. She closed her green eyes as it felt like ice settled through her veins and she shivered involuntarily.

When she opened her eyes, she saw all the boys wearing relieved smiles. "It worked."

Buffy felt her head and noticed the horns protruding from her skull were gone. She looked at her skin and noticed it was back to its normal tan complexion. She breathed a sigh of relief and then grinned evilly at the boys. "Just wait," she said and slipped past them to go to her own room. She would get them back but right now she just wanted to sleep.

After changing into a pair of grey pajama pants and a blue tank top, Buffy heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she called, recognizing Sirius' all too familiar knock. He entered quietly and quickly and shut the door behind him.

"I told James I was going to the bathroom. Somehow I don't think he'll approve of me being in here," he explained.

"But it's my birthday," Buffy pouted sweetly.

Sirius couldn't resist and took a step forward, capturing her lips with his own. The kiss began to get more passionate when they pulled apart due to lack of oxygen.

Sirius pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket and handed it to Buffy. "Happy Birthday, Buffy."

Buffy's breath caught in her throat as she opened the box. Inside was a beautiful silver chain with a phoenix pendent hanging from it.

"Since you're obsessed with phoenixes, I thought you might like this. I transfigured it myself," Sirius said proudly. "It took a couple of tries to get it exactly how I wanted it, but I hope you like it."

Buffy was speechless, so she decided to thank him with another kiss. When they broke apart, she said, "I love it. It's absolutely gorgeous." Sirius helped put it around her neck, clasping it in the back while she held her blonde hair to the side.

"I love you," Sirius said, gazing into her twinkling eyes.

"I love you too." Buffy replied, kissing him again. Only this time they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Buffy, it's me," James said.

"Just a second," Buffy's panicked voice said.

"I just wanted to apologize for the potion mix up," James continued. Meanwhile, Sirius transformed into his dog form and attempted to crawl under the bed. Buffy rushed to the door and opened it, revealing James.

"An apology isn't going to work," Buffy said, trying not to look too suspicious.

James gave her a brilliant smile and said, "Well, it couldn't hurt to try." He was about to leave when he saw a tail sticking out from under the bed; a familiar looking tail. "Padfoot?" James asked in disbelief, and watched as the tail seemed to get sucked up by the bed.

"Goodnight, James," Buffy said, trying to close the door.

"Buffy," James scolded, shoving past her into her room. "What would mom and dad say?" James threw the covers aside to reveal a big, black dog.

"About my stray dog Snuffles?" Buffy asked innocently.

"Padfoot, get out," James said and watched as the dog slowly inched his way out, moving his paws very slowly. Finally he got out and changed back to his human form and grinned cheekily at James.

"James! Fancy meeting you here." To Buffy he said, "Do you know what kind of dust bunnies you have under there? It's disgusting." James took him by the arm and pulled him out of Buffy's room. Passing Buffy, Sirius asked, "Snuffles?"

"It's all I could think of!" Buffy said with a shrug.

"Goodnight, Buffy." James said, closing the door as they left.

Buffy could hear their voices drifting away as they walked down the hall to James' room. "I can't believe you told her! What we did was illegal, which means it's supposed to be a secret!"

"I didn't tell her. She's not stupid you know; she figured it out by herself." Sirius defended.

Buffy smiled and leaned against the door. James seemed more upset that Buffy knew about Padfoot than about them being in the room together with the door closed. Buffy guessed he couldn't rebuke her too much, seeing how he and Lily were always holed up in his room when their parents were out. He was just being the overprotective brother again.

Buffy walked over to her dresser and looked into the mirror resting on top of it. She picked up her hairbrush and started to brush it out. Her skin prickled, goose bumps appeared on her arms and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She felt like she was being watched.

She continued to brush her hair and used her mirror to look behind her, but all she saw was her empty room. The bed was untouched, as was the nightstand beside it, the window was slightly opened and the closet doors were closed. 'Wait,' Buffy thought, her stomach dropping, 'I didn't open the window.'

Her right hand stilled its movements and she placed the brush on the dresser. "James?" she asked slowly. "This isn't funny." Buffy turned around and walked over to the window. "I know you're in here with that cloak." Even though she knew it couldn't be him, as he had just left her room, but it made her less afraid. She shut the window and locked it. Turning around, Buffy faced her seemingly empty room and inched towards the door.

"Stupify," a voice whispered, but Buffy was ready and dove to the floor, did a roll and came up by the door.

She heard other curses being thrown at her and her eyes widened. There were several people in her room and she couldn't see any of them.

A spot on the wall next to her head exploded from where a spell slammed into it. Buffy quickly opened the door and ran out into the hall yelling, "James!"

Now they appeared. There were five people standing in the room behind her and they were all dressed like Death Eaters.

Her wand was in the kitchen on the table where she left it after fixing the glass, so she ran towards the kitchen. "James! Help!" Buffy cried again, alerting the house to the danger. They were still after her, but a moving target was very difficult to hit, especially in the dark in unfamiliar territory.

Buffy could hear the door to James' room open and she could imagine the surprise on their faces to see five Death Eaters storming around their house. She could definitely hear their startled gasps.

That's when all hell broke loose.

Buffy reached the kitchen and grabbed her wand, ducking behind the island to protect herself from the spells. She could hear the boys yelling curses in the hallway and knew they were in trouble. The hallway was too tight, too enclosed to have a battle in. There was no room to dodge a curse and with so many people, it was hard to miss; although, it did work both ways.

"Peter!"

"Accio!"

"James, look out!"

"Avada Ke davra!"

"No!" Buffy yelled, recognizing the unstoppable killing curse.

"Buffy!" Sirius yelled, worried for her safety.

She heard footsteps entering the kitchen behind her, but they weren't the footsteps she heard stomping over the house all the time. They were heavier, unfamiliar footsteps. Buffy waited for the right second and then jumped up from behind the island and yelled, "Stupify!" The red light hit him full on the chest, knocking him backwards and down.

She could still hear the ruckus in the hallway and knew she had to help them. She went out the door connected to the family room, intent on sneaking up behind them. Unfortunately, more men in robes surprised her there. Five more Death Eaters stood in the living room with their wands pointed at her. She knew she was no match for dueling so many full-grown wizards - she was only through 4 years of school! Buffy ducked around the incoming volley of spells, and threw some back at them. She was more likely to get a shot in that them because they stood there tall in proud, not fearing a threat from her.

Back in the kitchen, Buffy thought she might have better luck with bigger objects and started hurling pots and pans out of the door. An occasional grunt told her that her aim wasn't too bad.

The sounds in the hallway were gone, but the battle raged on in another room of the house. "James! Sirius! Remus!" Buffy yelled. She had to know that they were all right. She ran towards the sounds, passing by Peter's unconscious body on the floor, and ended up in the family room with two Death Eaters still behind her. Upon entering the room, she saw James and Sirius behind the couch, throwing curses over the top. Remus was close by, using a chair for cover.

Upon seeing her, one of the Death Eaters said, "Get the girl." A second one nodded and tore away from the battle, aiming at her. "Stupify!" he yelled and Buffy ducked, allowing the curse to hit one coming up behind her.

Buffy jumped and twisted, ducked and rolled, avoiding curses while sending a few herself. Unfortunately, there were too many; they just never seemed to stay down.

Now, only Sirius and James were left. They were the only two to see Buffy get stunned and fall to the floor. "Buffy!" James yelled, struggling to help his sister. "No!" he yelled again as he saw a Death Eater bend over to pick her up.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sirius fall beside him, receiving a curse once he left the safety of the couch. He ran towards Buffy, his seeker skills allowing him to dodge a majority of the curses.

But he wasn't fast enough. The last thing he was Buffy's body dangling over the Death Eater's shoulder, her blonde locks tumbling down the man's back. The last thing he heard was his own voice once again screaming for the sister he'd never see again.

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The Ministry of Magic had been alerted to the large amounts of magic issuing from school children's wands. It was coming from the Potter's house.

Aurors were sent immediately and they got there in time to see the house in ruins and the Dark Mark hovering in the sky. Most of the Aurors went inside to check on the status of the members of the house. However, one of the younger Aurors saw some movement out of the corner of his eye.

He apparated to a small patch of trees, where he had seen the movement. Successfully surprising the Death Eaters, he quickly stunned them and noticed the girl lying between them. It looked as if they had been attempting to portkey somewhere. 'Why would they want to take her somewhere?' the Auror thought. 'The Death Eaters never capture, they only kill.'

The man walked over to the girl and said, "Enervate," awakening her from her immobile state.

She looked around confused for a moment, but then all the memories came back once she saw the two robed figures. "James! And Sirius and Remus!" she said. "Where are they? Are they okay?" she questioned rapidly.

"Calm down. It's Elizabeth, right?" At her nod, he continued. "You were taken by the Death Eaters, but I took care of them. As for the others, I don't know because I came after you. I haven't been in the house."

Buffy opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the Minister of Magic walking up behind the Auror.

"Alastor!" Fudge called out. "May I have a word?" He spared a brief, nervous glance at the blonde before adding, "Alone?"

Alastor Moody nodded and motioned for the girl to stay put while the two conversed quietly behind some trees. "What's the matter, Minister?"

"I've received the details of what happened, the attack on the Potter's house and all, and it confirms some disturbing information I've received earlier tonight," Fudge said. "It seems that Miss Potter is going to be very powerful when she is older, perhaps even more so than You-Know-Who himself."

Understanding dawned on Moody's face. "That's why he wanted to capture her. He planned on turning her to his side, so he could use her."

Impatient and irritated, Buffy snuck closer to the two men so she could hear their 'important' conversation.

"I fear that might be the case and as Minister, I have a job to do and people to protect. I can't allow that to happen."

"Well, she's safe now. We've stopped the Death Eaters," Moody said.

"This time, yes, but what about in the future? I'm sure he won't stop just because he was detained once." Fudge paused for a moment.

"Well, what am I supposed to do about it?" Moody asked. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I want you to kill her," Fudge said. Moody's jaw dropped and he was stunned, speechless, as was Buffy who couldn't believe what she heard. "She is a threat to the world and needs to be gotten rid of."

"You're asking me to kill an innocent fifteen year old girl because you're afraid of what might happen in the future? You can't be sure of anything!" Moody argued.

"If You-Know-Who gets his hands on her, we're all doomed," Fudge persisted.

"She might be the one to destroy Voldemort! You can't know what is going to happen," Moody said, scowling when the Minister flinched at the name.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. I'm ordering you to kill her and bring her body back to her family. Tell them that the Death Eaters killed her. Do you understand?" Fudge said with a threat clearly implied by his tone.

"Yes," Moody replied reluctantly. Fudge nodded and then disappeared with a 'pop!'

Buffy stepped out from behind the tree in shock. "Are you going to kill me?"

Moody's heart broke, looking at this innocent girl, still in her pyjamas. He looked at her for the longest time, but he already knew what his answer would be. "No."

Buffy looked surprised at his answer. "Then I can go home now?"

"No," Moody said. "You can't ever go home again. I have to bring your body back or there will be hell to pay. I'm going to send you away; you'll become someone else." As he was talking, Moody reached for a stick and turned it into a portkey.

Buffy's eyes widened, but before she could protest, Moody had pointed his wand at her and modified her memory. While she was still in a daze, Moody asked her what she wanted her name to be. He figured she should at least get to name herself, lest he should give her some stupid name like Joan or something.

"Buffy," she replied absently. Moody raised an eyebrow at that, but let her keep it. He made her grab the stick and they disappeared from the clearing. Fifteen minutes later, Moody reappeared alone in the same spot he left.

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Back in Los Angeles, California, Buffy Summers was asleep in her bed, never realizing what had just happened. She believed herself to be a stereotypical teenage American cheerleader. She had no memory of her friends, of her real family, of England, or of magic. However, Moody forgot to take her phoenix necklace, leaving her confused as to where it came from.

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In London, Moody transfigured an old tree branch to resemble Buffy and carried the body back to a house full of worried people. Every heart broke at the sight of her still form and tears were quickly shed.

Despite the sombre atmosphere, Moody thought he had done the best thing. He had saved the girls life and possibly the lives of others, if what Fudge said came true. She would grow up as a muggle, never knowing about magic or the wizarding world.

Alas, Moody could not deny destiny, for three months later a new slayer was called. 


	2. Chapters 1 to 5

CHAPTER 1: HEADACHE 

Hell. That's what her life had been for the past three years. Ever since Willow ripped her out of heaven, nothing felt right anymore. Buffy Summers had nothing to live for.

She could fool her friends, and after Willow tried to end the world, Buffy tried to fool herself. She knew she needed to be a better friend; all of them were struggling to grow up on the Hellmouth, something that was easier said than done. They all had their problems and the only way they were going to make it out would be by helping each other. But Buffy had always had to be the strong one, and that didn't change. She needed to be there for her friends, so she had to pretend. In some ways it worked, but deep in her heart, she knew something was missing. She just didn't know what.

Walking down the school halls, she rubbed her phoenix pendant for good luck. She still had no idea where it came from, but ever since she woke up that morning with it on, she rarely took it off. Her footsteps echoed eerily on the tile floors; she was heading to the mouth of hell and instead of thinking of battle plans, or worrying, her mind kept wandering.

She had been happy and now she wasn't, not really. Life was hard, especially for her, and nothing ever seemed to go right. Her life was a classic example of Murphy's Law. But, as hard as her life was, she wasn't going to kill herself; she had responsibilities and people to protect. She was the Slayer.

'Soon,' Buffy thought, leading an army down into the mouth of hell, 'there will be hundreds of Slayers. I won't be needed as much. Would it really be that bad if I didn't survive the battle?' Buffy shook the morbid thoughts out of her head and stood up a little taller, griping the sword she held a little tighter. In all honesty, she didn't want to die, or at least not at the hands of the annoying First Evil. She wouldn't give it the satisfaction. What she needed was something more solid to live for, to fight for.

At the moment, however, she was fighting for her life, the lives of others and the fate of the world. What she really needed right now was Willow's damn spell to work! The girls couldn't hold themselves against the thousands of vampires without Slayer powers. It would be a massacre if Willow couldn't get the spell to work really soon.

"Come on, Willow!" Buffy muttered to herself, killing yet another uber-vampire that came at her.

All of a sudden, a powerful wave of magic coursed through her, unlocking a spell cast long ago. Buffy felt something happen to her and her head became jumbled, but she didn't have time to stop and think. She pushed all thoughts out of her mind and concentrated on winning the battle.

Unfortunately, her brief lapse in concentration cost her, as she missed the vampire that came up behind her, sliding his sword through her side. She dropped to the ground in pain and surprise.

The First Evil sauntered over to her, dressed like the mirror image of herself, cuts and everything. "Oh no… ow! Mommy, this mortal wound is all... itchy," it said, taunting her. "You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down. What more do you want?"

Buffy was really pissed off. The bad guys weren't supposed to taunt her; she was supposed to taunt them. Her eyes flashed angrily and a slightly golden spark flared up before quickly dying away. "I want you..." Buffy began through gritted teeth, beginning to get up, "to get out of my face." Buffy stood up, forcing away the pain.

The First's look of amusement died, giving way to anger, and, was that fear? Buffy took the scythe that Rona threw at her, and started hacking away at the Turok-Hans. The others, seeing Buffy rise up, all felt encouraged and the Slayers all fought with more strength. The more Buffy fought, the less her wound hurt; soon she forgot about it altogether.

Then, Spike started to disintegrate as the amulet started to take effect. Buffy had a quick but grateful goodbye to him before Faith ushered her out, taking the red scythe with her. She never loved him; she couldn't love him, not after what he did. They used each other, but it was never love; at least not on her part.

Buffy high-tailed her butt out of there. The school was falling in under her feet and the roof was collapsing above her; chunks of plaster and cement were missing her by inches. Buffy started toward the doors, only to note the entire entrance was blocked. On the way to the stairs, she passed a figure motionless on the ground.

"Anya?" Buffy asked, stepping toward her quickly. The ex-demon had gotten on the wrong end of a sword and had lost a lot of blood, but she might make it; if they got to a hospital real soon. In any case, Buffy couldn't leave her friend here; they'd been through too much. Buffy quickly picked up the light girl and escaped to the roof.

Jumping rooftops, trying to outrun and enormous cave-in behind her and catch the bus in front of her was not easy, especially carrying a half-dead girl. Buffy briefly entertained the idea of just stopping, but some unknown strength pushed her forward.

There was a nagging in the back of her mind that made her run that little bit faster. She didn't acknowledge what it was, just listened to the desire to make it out of Sunnydale alive.

Finally she caught up with the bus and slowly pulled ahead, but how was she supposed to get on? It would take a miracle.

Using all her slayer skill and calling forth her years of training, Buffy jumped off the building she was currently on. Dropping through the air with Anya tightly in her arms, Buffy executed a perfect landing, slamming her feet onto the orange metal, bending her knees to absorb most of the impact, and keeping her balance as best as she could. If she didn't stay standing, she had no way of keeping both Anya and herself stayed on.

Fortunately, she had experience riding on top of moving objects. Fighting Glory, they had taken a large Winnebago out of town, only to be stopped by the stupid Knights of Byzantium. Buffy expertly fought the knights off, while riding on top of the RV.

Eventually they passed Sunnydale city limits and Buffy felt the bus ease off. Once they came to a complete stop, Buffy gratefully, and somewhat awkwardly jumped off, as everyone else unloaded.

"Buffy, you made it! You're okay!" Will said, rushing to her best friend. "Oh, no! Anya!" Willow cried.

"She's hurt pretty bad and she's lost a lot of blood. We need to get her to a hospital…" Buffy trailed off as she saw the wound close up. She looked up and saw Willow using her magic to heal Anya, much like she did to Buffy's gunshot wound, only without the dark hair and eyes. "Or not." Buffy said as Anya opened her eyes and sat up.

"Xander?" Anya asked confusedly.

"I'm right here, baby." Xander told her, stepping to Buffy's side and helping Anya to her feet.

"Oh Buffy! You got hurt too. How are you even standing?" Willow asked, noticing the blood surrounding a slice in her shirt.

Buffy looked down in confusion; she had forgotten about her wound. She lifted up her shirt for Willow to see, but was shocked to see that the wound had already healed. There was no mark on her that suggested she got stabbed, except the insane amount of red on her clothes. "That's weird. I usually don't heal that fast."

"Maybe it was the spell. It might have given you a little oomph," Willow suggested, also confused.

"Maybe," Buffy said doubtfully.

"Where are we?" Anya asked, looking around at the barren desert surrounding them for miles. Her eyes fell on the huge crater where the small town of Sunnydale once stood. "What happened?"

Andrew came running up and grabbed Anya tightly around her waist, hugging her and knocking her off balance.

"What the...?" Anya said. "Get off you little monkey!"

Andrew quickly released her and stepped back, an embarrassed look on his face. "Sorry, but there was a vampire and he stabbed you and there was nothing I could do..." Andrew rambled on for a while. "I'm glad you're okay," he finished.

Anya's eyes widened and she turned frantically to Xander. "Oh God! I was going to die, wasn't I? I'm not ready to die yet! There's still so much I want to do! I'm still young and able. And pretty. And there's all that money I haven't gotten yet. And I still want to be with you even though you left me at the alter and broke my heart and should have numerous bodily wounds because of it. I still love you."

"I still love you too, Ahn." Xander said, kissing her head and pulling her close. "I tried to find you when the building caved in, but I couldn't. I thought I lost you and it scared me. And I don't scare easily," he joked.

"So we can try again, maybe?" Anya asked, snuggling into him.

"Yeah, we can try again," Xander confirmed, thinking that this time he wouldn't screw up both their lives. He'd wait until he was ready to get married. He then noticed that all his close friends were standing around them, smiling slightly.

"Thanks Will," he said gratefully to the redhead. "And Buffy."

"Yes. Thank you for saving my life Willow and thank you for risking bodily harm to bring me out of the school Buffy." Anya said eagerly. "I must give you a gift. But there aren't any stores around here and I don't have any money with me…" Anya trailed off, her eyes growing wide and she grabbed Xander by the arm. "My store! It's gone. And all my money!"

While Xander tried to console his ex-ex-girlfriend, the others stepped toward the crater, surveying the damage.

"She's right, you know," Willow said. "We've lost everything."

"We've got the important things," Giles said, looking around at those that survived.

For the first time in a long time Buffy had time to relax. To think. She let her mind wander a little as Willow stepped closer to her.

"What do you want to do, Buffy?" Willow asked, putting her hand on Buffy's arm.

Unexpectedly, Buffy's head exploded with pain and she screamed in agony, clutching her head and dropping to her knees. The feeling at the back of her mind that had been nagging at her since Willow's spell came back at full force, released by the power of Willow's touch.

The Slayer Activation Spell had swept through her, breaking the ridiculously powerful memory spell placed on her years ago, and unlocking her magical powers. At the time, she wasn't mentally ready for the new discovery, her mind was preoccupied with the battle, and Buffy unconsciously locked everything away again. But Willow seeped of raw energy and magic, and her touch sent that power through Buffy, unlocking the gates of her memories and her magic, allowing it all to surge through her, revealing a life she never knew existed.

But it was too much. Her mind and body weren't prepared for the onslaught of memories and magical power that had been locked away and building since the night she became Buffy Summers. The blinding pain raced through her head and body, causing her to succumb to blissful darkness.

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CHAPTER 2: WHO YOU ARE

"James! Sirius! This is not funny!" Buffy said, her blonde pigtails hanging down as she floated above the ten-year old boys laughing up at her. "Get me down!"

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Buffy sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast excitedly. She was unable to contain her enthusiasm and was bouncing up and down.

"What's got you so happy this morning?" her dad asked, eyeing her over his copy of The Daily Prophet.

Two screams could be heard from down the hall and Buffy's grin grew wider. "Buffy!" James yelled from his room, his door muffling the sounds slightly, very slightly.

"Buffy we're sorry! Now could you please let us out?" Sirius' voice added.

A tall, blonde witch standing at the sink turned toward her daughter. "What did you do?" She asked slowly.

"Me?" Buffy questioned innocently with her eyes wide.

"Yes, you," her dad said, not believing her angelic look, knowing she was a devil in disguise.

"I didn't do anything to them, exactly. I just wanted to help them out, because you're always yelling at James to make his bed." Buffy said sweetly. "I guess my good deed backfired slightly and the covers tucked themselves in tightly with them still in the bed."

The screams kept coming and her parents laughed. "You should go let them out, don't you think?" her dad said, picking up a piece of toast from the table.

"No, they should stay like that for a while. It might be good for them; besides, their breakfast isn't ready yet," her mom said with a wink, sitting at the table and making no move to finish up their meal. Buffy grinned happily and sipped her juice.

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"I don't want you to go!" Buffy said, near tears. "What am I supposed to do?"

"I'm sure you can find something to do," James said, hugging his sister goodbye as the scarlet train whistled behind them. "Start thinking of new pranks… er… spells," James corrected quickly after a scowl from his dad.

"Soon you're gonna have to live up to our legacy," Sirius said proudly, ruffling the blonde's hair.

"We'll see you at Christmas!" James yelled, running to the train.

"Don't worry, we'll send you something cool from Hogwarts!" Sirius added.

"Do you want a knight's helmet?" James asked from a window, his black head sticking through the frame. Buffy half-laughed, half-sobbed as she ran after the train, waving goodbye to her brother and his best friend.

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Several brown owls dropped a large brown box in front of Buffy, squashing her breakfast and splashing her juice.

"What in the world is that?" Buffy's mom asked, startled at the arrival of such a non-descript package.

Buffy quickly picked up the box from the table and ran into her room, calling out over her shoulder, "It's something from James!"

On her bed, Buffy broke open the box and lifted the flaps, revealing a shiny metallic helmet: one from the knights at Hogwarts.

She placed it on her nightstand and it soon became a treasured possession.

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"Where's your letter, Buffy?" James teased his younger sister.

"It's not here yet," she replied grumpily from her spot on their porch. She was looking at the sky expectantly, like she had for the past week.

"Didn't we get our letters in July?" Sirius asked James. "And isn't it August now?"

"Yeah, looks like you're not getting a letter. They don't want a runt like you," James teased, referring to Buffy's incredibly small frame.

"I think I see something!" Sirius said, pointing at the sky. "No, wait, it's just a cloud, sorry." Buffy smacked him on his arm, which Sirius promptly grabbed. "Ow! Violent one, isn't she?" he asked James.

James' reply was drowned out by Buffy's excited squeals as the owl carrying her Hogwarts letter came into view.

"Looks like we're gonna get stuck with you at school next year." James said good-naturedly. "We had two years of peace," he added, referring to his younger sister's continual shadowing of him and his friends since they were younger. He didn't mind, not really; he loved his sister, but since Hogwarts he had his own group of friends that grew closer every day.

"Like I want to hang around you and your friends!" Buffy huffed. "I don't want to get into trouble like you guys. You're just a bunch of troublemakers. A bunch of marauders!" Buffy said, opening her letter carefully.

"Marauders? Where'd you learn that word?" Sirius asked, surprised at the younger-girls vocabulary.

Buffy blushed and muttered, "In a book I read."

James looked alarmed and said, "A book? You read? But you hate books!" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "When did you read?"

"While you two were at Hogwarts." At their outrageous looks she continued, "There wasn't anything else to do!"

"Nothing to do?" Sirius said incredulously. "We told you to be creative and invent some new pranks, and you chose to read? After everything we've done for you."

"All we've taught you," James continued.

"This is how you repay us?" Sirius finished. To James he said, "I think we should take away her helmet."

"NO!" Buffy yelled. "I did plan pranks; I made some really good ones, but I had two years and I was bored and I had no one to test them on!"

"Why didn't you invite your friends over," James asked, worried that she spent too much time with him and Sirius when they were younger. He didn't want her to be a hermit.

"And play with dolls?" Buffy said indignantly. "The second I get caught only thinking about clothes and boys, please kill me. I am not one of the vain airheads like Marie and Melissa. All they do is giggle! And Becky moved away last year," Buffy pushed away thoughts of the friend she met the year James and Sirius started at Hogwarts.

"Well, I guess I can forgive you, as long as it stops by the time school starts. We have a reputation to uphold and it can't get out the my sister likes to read."

"If we're seen even associating with a goody-goody bookworm, we'll be ruined!" Sirius kidded.

"I'm not gonna be around you that much anyway. I'll make new friends with people my own age." Buffy replied. "And don't worry, I'm not a goody- goody." Buffy finished with a slight smirk.

"What did we do to that girl?" Sirius said, slightly awed and slightly scared at the look on her face as she walked away.

"Marauders, huh?" James said with a thoughtful look on his face.

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Buffy sat nervously on the stool, a tattered black hat covering her head and blocking her view of the hundreds of school children staring at her.

"Hmm, this is interesting," a voice spoke in her ear. "There's power, yes, lots of power, and a thirst to prove yourself. You're clever and resourceful... quick on your feet. Cunning. Brave… not afraid of risks... loyal… very noble... concerned about others… hmmm, where to put you? Any house would fit, but you'd be best in."

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted to the great hall and cheers broke out while Buffy walked happily to the house where her brother and his friends sat.

She chose an empty seat next to a redheaded girl with bright green eyes. "Hi," she said, offering her hand to the young blonde. "I'm Lily."

"I'm Buffy," she said, taking the outstretched hand.

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"Are you going to try out for the quidditch team?" Lily asked her, watching her survey the announcement posted in the common room.

The second year looked up from her thoughts to look at her best friend. "I'd like to be seeker, but James already had that spot. I think I'd make a decent chaser though."

At the mention of the fourth year seeker, a scowl marred the redhead's pretty features. The look did not go unnoticed by the younger blonde, who lifted an eyebrow in question.

"He's just so arrogant!" Lily said. "I don't know how you're related to someone like him!"

"He's not that bad," Buffy defended. "But he's definitely changed since he came to Hogwarts."

"He wasn't bad the first year, but the last two years of winning the Quidditch Cup boosted his ego in a major way. And it doesn't help that he gets away with everything," Lily ranted. It didn't help that she was a good girl; she always knew the answer, turned in her homework early and never did anything questionable.

"I wouldn't say they get away with everything," Buffy said with a slight smile. "The amount of detentions they've already had must have set a school record. I mean, James and Sirius have mirrors they use to talk to each other during their separate detentions." At the look on her friends' face, Buffy decided that she probably didn't need, or want, to know that.

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"Gryffindors Win! 420 to 30, destroying the Slytherins with outstanding flying from the Potters! I guess the talent runs in the family!"

Buffy flew toward the ground and hopped off her broom, meeting her team to join in the celebration.

"And the Quidditch Cup goes to the Gryffindor team for the third year in a row!" Buffy was ecstatic as she hugged her team-mates, all enjoying their victory.

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"James is such an insufferable prat!" Lily exclaimed, dropping her books on the coach by the fire and plopping in the seat next to Buffy.

Buffy listed to her fifth year friend rant and rave about her older brother, but she didn't say a word.

"You should have seen what he did to Severus today! It was awful."

Buffy listened to the story and felt that it was time that she said something to her older brother. She knew that he liked Lily, it was fairly obvious, but he wasn't going to get her by being such a jerk. Besides, she didn't want her brother to be labelled as a bully.

The more she listened to Lily's tirade, the more she felt that, maybe, the feelings were mutual, just hidden deeply in her case.

Yes, she definitely needed to talk to James.

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A knock at the door awakened Buffy. She wondered who could be coming over at 1:00 in the morning and walked down the hall to find out.

Surprised, Buffy watched Sirius enter the house and talk quietly to her parents. Buffy could only hear scraps of the conversation, but understood enough to know that Sirius had run away from home and wanted to stay here for a while.

Buffy's heart broke a little for the black-haired teen, as her parents led him to the guest bedroom. She knew he hated his family, but to totally renounce them seemed odd to her.

Although, she was happy he finally got away from his horrible relatives, all whom had been in Slytherin and seemed very… dark. She had been over to his house a couple of times before, with James, and his parents didn't seem to like her much.

Yes, she was glad he got away from his family, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she thought of Sirius living with them the rest of the summer. A place where he can be loved.

By her parents, of course; like a new family. It's not like anything had changed, as he was here all the time anyway, but this was different.

It was.

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Buffy turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. She just wrapped a towel around herself when the door opened and a half-asleep Sirius stepped into the bathroom.

Buffy screamed and clutched the towel closer to herself.

Sirius, now fully awake, blushed and hurried out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

After Buffy was dressed, she stepped out and hit her boyfriend on the head as she passed him. "Next time, knock," she advised.

"Next time?" Sirius questioned with a brow raised as he grabbed Buffy by the wrist and pulled her to him, cutting off her reply with a kiss.

Buffy groaned against his mouth as his hand slid up the back of her shirt. She wrapped her hands around his neck and deepened the kiss, only to be interrupted by James' approach and sudden yelp. He was not informed of the relationship formed, and well hidden for a while, between his friend and his younger sister.

"Morning James!" Sirius said cheekily as he pulled away from his best friend's sister, and then ran the other way as James came after him.

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Buffy found out about the monthly transformations of Remus and his three friends, and, after many heated discussions, lots of arguing, several days of silence, and many make-up make-out sessions, Sirius was teaching Buffy how to become an animagus as well.

Secretly, of course.

No doubt James would think it too dangerous for his younger sister, and it would mean trouble for both of them if he ever found out.

Amazingly enough, Buffy caught on much faster than Sirius, James, and Peter had. Perhaps it was because she had an experienced teacher, but she had always been quick on the uptake. In any case, tonight she would find out what animal she could become.

All she had to do was drink a potion.

One that could have serious side effects if it was done incorrectly.

"It's a good think I made this," Buffy said. "Otherwise, I don't think I'd be brave enoguht to risk it," she joked.

"You've always had a knack for potions," Sirius said. "Now drink it."

"Yes, Sir!" Buffy mock saluted, and at Sirius' glare, she chucked the horrid tasting potion down. She gagged at its awful taste and slimy texture, leaning on Sirius while it took affect.

Buffy started to glow slightly and a think layer of smoke formed around her. The smoke drifted away from her, condensing into an animal form.

Buffy and Sirius gasped at the smoke creation.

"I'm a phoenix!" Buffy said with wide eyes.

"Well, you've always had a thing for them," Sirius said in awe. "Now you can become one."

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"I told James I was going to the bathroom. Somehow I don't think he'll approve of me being in here," he explained.

"But it's my birthday," Buffy pouted sweetly.

Sirius couldn't resist and took a step forward, capturing her lips with his own. The kiss began to get more passionate when they pulled apart due to lack of oxygen.

Sirius pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket and handed it to Buffy. "Happy Birthday, Buffy."

Buffy's breath caught in her throat as she opened the box. Inside was a beautiful silver chain with a phoenix pendent hanging from it.

"Since you're obsessed with phoenixes, I thought you might like this. I transfigured it myself," Sirius said proudly. "It took a couple of tries to get it exactly how I wanted it, but I hope you like it."

Buffy was speechless, so she decided to thank him with another kiss. When they broke apart, she said, "I love it. It's absolutely gorgeous." Sirius helped put it around her neck, clasping it in the back while she held her blonde hair to the side.

"I love you," Sirius said, gazing into her twinkling eyes.

"I love you too." Buffy replied, kissing him again.

The phoenix glowed briefly and a voice said, "You think you know, who you are, what's to come? You haven't even begun."

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Buffy Summers opened her eyes and sat up with a gasp, remembering the familiar words.

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CHAPTER 3: WHO AM I?

"Buffy?" a familiar voice asked, breaking through the haze surrounding the blonde.

"Are you okay?" a more masculine voice interjected, concern evident in his tone.

Buffy was sitting on an unfamiliar couch in an unfamiliar place, but it went unnoticed by her, as her eyes seemed to be focused on a far-off place.

"Buffy!" Giles said sharply, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes.

"That only works in the movies, Giles," Xander said. "Or not," he corrected as he saw bright green eyes focus on the fingers and then slid upwards to the face hovering in front of hers.

"Giles?" Buffy asked in a small, confused voice.

"Buffy, are you okay? What happened?" he asked his younger charge.

"I remember," was her answer, her voice wavering slightly.

"You remember what?" Willow asked from her left side.

Buffy's hand went up to her phoenix pendant and she looked down at it amazed. "Who I am."

"Yes. You're Buffy. The Vampire Slayer, or technically A Vampire Slayer now that Willow's spell worked and all the potentials became slayers."

"Anya," Xander interrupted her ongoing rambling. "You're getting off topic."

"No," Buffy said, shaking her head slightly. Her hands were trembling slightly, her voice was unsteady and tears were building in her eyes.

"She's not getting off topic?" Xander asked confused.

"No, I mean, I'm not Buffy. I mean, I am Buffy, but I'm not the Buffy you know," Buffy said.

"Is this supposed to make some sense that I'm missing?" Xander asked after he attempted to understand.

"What do you mean not our Buffy?" asked Willow.

"I think she's just delusional. War sometimes does things to people. I've seen it happen," Anya said. Turning to Buffy, she continued, "You're name is Buffy Summers, you're 25, your birthday is January 19th."

"Actually it's not," Buffy interrupted her softly, mounting more confusion upon the already confused group. "My real name is Elizabeth Potter. Buffy was a nickname my friend gave to me."

Buffy didn't know what to think. Her whole life was a lie; everything she thought she knew was wrong. She had a family, she had friends, she was happy. She had been utterly content, something that she had not yet experienced in her life since then. It was taken away from her with one order.

Buffy didn't know whether to hit Moody or hug him. But ultimately, it was only one person's fault. 'Fudge,' Buffy thought angrily.

She could remember everything like she was fifteen again; she even felt the same emotions that she had related to her memories. Everything was clear and strong in her mind; with fifteen years of suppressed memories forced into her deep subconscious, her mind had to replay events over and over again in order to ease the pressure. It took a lot of power to keep her memories at bay, but now they were out and they were overwhelming her.

It was giving her a headache.

She rubbed her temples slightly, trying to ease the tension. She tried taking a deep breath, focusing on something other than her memories. As she did, she realized she felt different. She felt more powerful; her body was humming.

'The magic,' Buffy thought with awe. She hadn't realized that it felt different to have magic in one's blood, she had always been a witch, and so she never had anything to compare it to until she lived like a muggle. But she missed it; it felt good to have the power running through her again. One of the spells Moody had put on her had locked her magic away, trapped like her memories in a remote corner of her mind, so that she wouldn't draw any attention to herself, whether by doing accidental magic or not. She was to live like a complete muggle, totally unaware of the magical life. 'Guess that plan backfired,' she thought bitterly.

She needed to take some time and get her thoughts together. She needed to adjust and process everything that happened. One minute she defeated The First Evil, sinking a whole city, and the next she discovered that she had a whole other life.

One thought kept running bitterly through her mind, 'The Powers That Be have been screwing with my life even before I was called. No happiness for Buffy. It' s much more fun to watch her suffer.' The more she thought about it, the more she started to think that maybe this was their way of rewarding her. She hadn't been happy and she had no family left, but now was a chance to reclaim her lost family, her lost friends, her lost life.

Meanwhile, her friends were trying, and failing, to make sense of what she had said.

"Huh?" Xander asked eloquently.

"I'm a witch," Buffy said, still absorbed in her thoughts and not paying much attention to what she said, or her friends' reactions.

"Buffy, are you sure you're okay?" Willow asked. "You didn't hit your head did you?" She started looking over Buffy's head, checking for visible damage.

"Stop that," Buffy protested, lightly swatting the redhead's hands away. "I'm fine."

"Then what's with the whole, I'm not Buffy, but I am Buffy, but you don't know me, but I know you, stuff?" Xander questioned.

"I was kidnapped on my 15th birthday, which is in August, not January,"

"Oh, we missed your birthday. Happy birthday!" Willow automatically said, giving her friend a hug before realizing that she still had no idea what was going on. "Continue."

"Anyway, a wizard saved me from another wizard and then brought me to America instead of killing me like this other wizard ordered."

"Again, I say, HUH?"

Buffy then explained to them what little she knew about the night she was taken. The more she thought, the more she remembered. She recalled going to L.A. because, as Moody had muttered to himself, "It was the farthest place away he had ever visited."

He was taking her to an adoption agency when a couple walked by them. Moody overheard the woman saying, "I just want a daughter, Hank."

"I'm sure there's another agency we can check out," the man said tiredly.

Moody saw this as his chance, and with a few well-placed spells, Elizabeth Potter became Buffy Summers, with no one any wiser. He didn't realize that the last adoption agency had rejected the couple as candidates because their marriage was "unstable."

When Buffy finished her tale, she looked at her friends to see their reactions.

"Wow," Willow said with wide eyes. "That..."

"Sucks," Anya interrupted. "If I were still a vengeance demon, I'd grant you a wish. Maybe two."

"Are you okay?" Giles asked.

"Yeah, it's just another day in the life of Buffy - one more person who has played with my memory. I really wish they'd stop. Do you think it can cause brain damage?" Buffy lied easily. In truth, she wasn't okay. It was hard and confusing, but in time she'd be okay. She had to be. Her fake memories were fading, just like they did with Dawn, the real memories charging to the front. She didn't want them to be gone because it had felt real for so long. She knew they weren't real, but she didn't want to think her mom, Joyce, loved her only because of a spell. Even if she wasn't blood, she was still her mom for several years. Buffy loved her and didn't want to think it was a lie.

"Who was kidnapping you in the first place?" Willow asked the question that had been nagging on everyone's mind. "And why?"

"Death Eaters attacked my house, so it must have been Voldemort who wanted me. For what reason, I have no idea."

"Voldemort? That name sounds vaguely familiar." Giles mused.

"I remember Voldemort's reign. It ended some years ago, I can't remember how. Anyway, I used to get so many calls from women who wanted revenge on Voldemort. But I wouldn't go near him - he would have found a way to kill me, or make me wish I was dead," Anya said, shuddering at the memories.

"That's right!" Giles exclaimed. "Two slayers were sent up against him, separately of course, as the Watcher's Council believed him to be a threat to both worlds. After the two slayers died, with no hope of defeating him, they decided that the wizarding world created the monster, therefore they had to find a way to defeat him."

"Kinda like, it sucks for you, we're outta here?" Xander asked. Giles just glared.

"You knew about the wizarding world?" Buffy asked surprised.

"Just in mentioning; it's all a bit vague. I believe the wizarding world kept to itself as much as it could, and the Watcher's Council had a hand in everything, but they weren't big on details."

"But why would the Minister want you dead if they stopped you from being kidnapped?" Willow asked, still trying to solve the mystery.

"I have no idea, but I can't wait to show up at his door, alive and very much kicking."

There was silence in the room while they each mused over the reasons why. They didn't have much to go on, as Buffy herself had no clue.

"Perhaps they knew you were a potential, and Voldemort wanted a powerful ally. Perhaps the Minister was afraid of that happening," Giles suggested.

"I guess that could be it," Buffy said, shrugging her shoulders. "But not even the Watcher's Council knew I was a potential. I mean, they didn't find me until after I was called."

"Yes, well, this Voldemort fellow sounds quite powerful. It's possible that he had access to some magics that pointed you out - namely the dark arts."

"Speaking of magic," Xander said, "what's this wizarding world like? And why does it have a world to itself?"

Buffy smiled as she thought back on her old home. "The wizarding community is much smaller than the muggle world and they are very secretive."

"Say what?"

"Oh, sorry. Muggles are non-magic people," Buffy explained. "Wizards and witches, like me, use wands. Wiccas, like Willow, use the power from the earth." Buffy continued on for a while, explaining the world of magic to her friends. She explained the school, the moving pictures, the methods of travel, the game of quidditch, everything she could remember.

"Can I see your wand?" Xander asked excitedly, bouncing slightly on his toes.

Buffy frowned as she thought about her valuable possession. "I don't have it, obviously. I don't know where... I dropped it," she remembered suddenly. "At my house. I got stunned and I didn't have it with me when I woke up. If I did, I think I would've done something to help myself."

"So we can't see any magic?" he pouted.

"Hey!" Willow exclaimed indignantly. "I can show you magic. I just did magic! I'm a magic makin' mama! I can show you so much magic you'd be begging me to stop!" At everyone's incredulous looks, Willow added much softer, "Not that I would."

"Theoretically, I believe it is possible for a wand witch to do wandless magic. You have the power within you, you just need to learn how to harness that power and control it. With practice you could easily perform just as well as Willow. And it would undoubtedly prove useful sometime." Giles said.

"How about it, Will?" Buffy asked, turning to the redhead. "Do you want to teach me?"

Willow became very excited, reminding Buffy of her high school self who had found the answer to a really challenging problem, or had drunk coffee.

"Of course! I would love to. It'll be fun, but not too much fun, because it's a serious matter and we can't be fooling around. Something will happen and you'll lose control and..."

"Yes, ma'am!" Buffy said jokingly. Willow continued to babble, ignoring Buffy's interruption.

"When can we start? Can we start now?"

"Willow," Giles said, calming the excited Wicca. "I think we may need to wait a while before the first lesson."

"Why?" Willow asked, her expression falling. Giles looked pointedly at Willow, indicating the blonde on the couch slightly. He had on his 'We have more important matters to discuss at the moment' look. "Oh. Right," she said softly.

"What are you going to do, Buffy? About your memories and everything?" Willow questioned her best friend with concern.

"I don't know," Buffy answered. "I mean, I want to go find my family and see my friends."

"But you're scared," Willow said, and her guess was confirmed with a small nod.

"It's just… it's been so long. What are they like? Are they married?" Buffy's stomach clenched painfully at the thought of Sirius married. Although it had been so long, she still wouldn't forget him. They say 'absence makes the heart grow fonder,' and she's been absent for a long time. She still carried her pendant around wherever she went, even though she had no idea where she got it until a couple of minutes ago. "Do they have kids? They're completely different people; I still know them as 16 year olds in school. What if..." Buffy's voice trailed off.

"What if what?" Xander asked.

"What if they've forgotten all about me?" Buffy voiced her fear.

"No one could forget the Buffster. No one would want to."

Buffy smiled slightly at Xander's comment. Of course they would be happy to see her. They had fought with their lives to keep her from being taken.

"I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but where are they?" Anya asked. "I mean, it's been over a decade. People move. Do you have any idea where they live?"

"They won't be too hard to find," Buffy said dismissively. "There are places that we could go that are only for wizards, and if someone doesn't know, I can always owl them."

The group nodded, having been previously informed about owl post.

"So, where exactly are you from Buffy? We've got nowhere to go, and nothing to do except find your family." Xander said. "I've never been to New York. Please say you're from New York. I've heard great things about it!"

"Actually, I'm from..." Buffy trailed off, her eyes growing wide with the realization.

"From." Xander prompted, moving his hands apart.

"Oh bloody hell, I'm English!" Buffy exclaimed, her true English roots showing through during a time of great distress. When Buffy realized what she said, she clamped her hand over her mouth.

There was a moment of silence and then Xander started laughing, pointing at her with one hand and leaning forward slightly. Willow grew excited at the prospect of going to England, and Giles said, "Oh dear Lord," before removing his glasses and polishing them.

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CHAPTER 4: LONDON

Once the surprise of Buffy's roots wore of, details were once again discussed, and then Buffy decided that they had talked enough. The shock was wearing off and she was getting restless.

She wanted to see her family.

Right then.

Unfortunately, the best she could do was have Giles call the airport and secure the soonest flight for five passengers. Buffy had never learned to apperate and didn't want to try after over ten years without practicing magic; she had no desire to become splinched.

So, after many planes, a few transfers, various airports, countless disgusting airplane meals, and several days later, the group was finally in London.

Willow had desperately wanted to see the sights, but understood that she was here for her friend. There would be time later to look around, so she contained her excitement, with much difficulty, and followed Buffy.

At the moment, she was following Buffy down the bustling streets of London, with stores lined up on either side.

"So where are we going again?" Xander asked.

"It's a pub called the Leaky Cauldron."

"You said pub," Xander chuckled.

"Buffy, do you really think it is appropriate to drink now? It's not even noon yet," Giles said, disappointed in her. "Besides, you've been drinking three times before and everyone knows how those turned out."

Buffy winced as she remembered the time when she'd gotten drunk at a college party and almost got sacrificed to a snake god, then when she'd gotten drunk over Parker and was turned into a cavewoman, and then when she got drunk with Spike, who played poker for kittens, and was sick in the bathroom that night.

Buffy smiled a bit and decided to relax his fears. "It's a wizard pub," Xander chuckled again, "and we're not drinking." Xander stopped chuckling; Willow noticed and swatted him on his arm. "Behind it is the entrance to Diagon Alley, a place that's like a wizard mall," Buffy told them. "If we're going to go into the wizarding world, we need to fit in. Wizards tend to dislike muggles, and we're dressed like them. Plus, I need to get a wand." Buffy said all this fairly quietly, understanding that there were muggles all around.

"They dress differently?" Willow asked, dodging around a person carrying five shopping bags.

"Oh, yeah," Buffy answered, grimacing as she thought of the robes she'd have to wear again. She preferred her muggle clothes, especially for slaying: there was more freedom to move, they were more comfortable, and it was much easier to show off the essentials. 'If Sirius could see me now…' Buffy thought suddenly.

"They have the worst fashion sense." Realizing what she'd said, Buffy chuckled softly to herself, but Anya overheard.

"There is nothing funny about the stupid robes we'll have to wear. I'll bet they're all hot and itchy," Anya complained.

"I was just remembering something," Buffy explained. "I once told James to kill me if I ever became one of those vain girls, obsessed with clothes, and here I am, brooding about them." Buffy lapsed into silence, lost in her thoughts.

"We'll see him soon, Buffy," comforted Willow, who correctly interpreted her friend's silence.

"I know, it's just…" Buffy lifted her head to look at Willow, but her eye noticed that they were passing the pub. "Oh, wait, we're here."

"I don't see it," Xander said.

"You're not supposed to. It's magic, remember? Just imagine the Leaky Cauldron between that book store and that record store," Buffy instructed.

"Whoa!" Xander exclaimed, jumping back slightly. "Now that was cool," he said with a goofy grin, referring to the way the building seemed to squeeze in between the two stores.

Buffy started to walk forward, but Giles stopped her. "You were essentially kidnapped eleven years ago; to suddenly appear as if nothing has happened would shock a lot of people. It would probably be best if you were the one to let James know of your return, not a stranger that is simply circulating a rumour."

"So, I become secret-identity gal again? Okay, not a problem," Buffy said.

"I believe that a more drastic change will be needed, as you… um… tend to stand out," Giles said carefully, unsure of her reaction. At Buffy's blank stare, he continued, "First, you need to sound English. Americans are too noticeable."

"Right," Buffy said. "Get back my English accent." She closed her eyes and thought back to how she had sounded for fifteen years. Living in America for over ten years, and believing herself to be American, had made her lose her accent. Back in England, with everyone speaking with an accent, she would be able to pick it up fairly quickly.

"How's this?" Buffy asked, attempting, and succeeding, at sounding English. It came back to her much easier than she thought it would. It was a little flawed, but soon it would be second nature to her. "Is this okay? Do I sound alright?" Buffy asked again, getting worried at their silence.

"That is just wrong on so many levels," Xander said with wide eyes.

"Indeed," Giles agreed, removing his glasses to clean them. He never thought he'd ever see, or rather hear, Buffy - the typical Californian - become a proper English woman. It was quite disturbing. "Just make sure you talk properly. Leave out any American slang."

"I'll try, but I can't promise you anything. I've been an American for so long, it's hard to remember how to speak English English."

"Yes, well…" Giles started, but then decided not to bother. "Next, you need to change your appearance some."

"You could become a brunette!" Anya suggested with a grin. The comment didn't surprise anyone, as Anya was known for constantly changing her hair colour.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea," Willow said. "Here." She spread her hands and before Buffy could say anything, her hair was a deep brown.

"Wow!" Xander was amazed at the sudden change. "You look…"

"Evil," Anya interrupted. "Change it back."

At Buffy's noise of protest that she could look evil, Xander continued, "What I was going to say, was that you remind me of Cordelia."

Buffy's eyes grew wide and her jaw dropped slightly.

"And the difference is…?" Willow asked, changing the hair back to blonde.

"Can we leave my hair alone? There are blondes all over the place," Buffy replied grumpily, grabbing her hair and inspecting it, making sure it was okay.

"You're absolutely right," Giles said. "Your eyes are your most noticeable feature," Buffy straightened proudly, "They'll have to be blue."

"Why not brown?" Xander asked, oblivious to the deflating Buffy and the magic Willow was performing.

"Blonde women with brown eyes are uncommon. And now your name," Giles said, looking over Buffy.

"Not Joan!" Willow, Xander, and Anya all exclaimed at once.

Giles blinked at the force of the statement, and was confused as well.

"What is wrong with Joan?" Buffy asked exasperatedly, placing her hands on her hips.

"It's just…"

"Well…"

"I mean…"

"I wasn't going to be Joan anyway," Buffy said, satisfied with her friends' lack of response. "I've already been Joan. Her ego was too big. I didn't like her."

At this, her friends raised their eyebrows. "Ah, Buff…" Xander started to point out, but was interrupted by Buffy's next sentence.

"I want to be Sarah. Sarah Fox." There was a pause, then...

"Foxy lady. I approve," Xander said, forgetting about his previous comment.

"Thanks," Buffy said dryly, using her accent once again. "Not that I really needed your approval."

"I can't believe you're English," Xander said for the billionth time.

"Yes, well, unfortunate and unexplainable things happen in life," Giles said.

"Hey!" Buffy cried, offended.

"Shouldn't we be going?" Willow asked in an attempt to break up a likely argument. It worked, as everyone grew somber, thinking about the task ahead.

"We should," Buffy said at last, striding towards the pub door. Opening it, the group stepped inside a dark and shabby looking place. The low chatter stopped immediately at their entrance and all eyes turned on them.

"Why do I feel like we're in a zoo?" Xander asked quietly.

"We might as well be," Buffy replied. "To them, we're just muggles."

"May I help you?" asked an older looking man behind the bar.

"Tom?" Buffy asked without thinking.

The bartender's eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked upon her with suspicion. "Yes?"

Thinking quickly, Buffy said, "I've heard so much about you and your place. My friend used to come here and since I'm back in town, he insisted I stop on by. I'm Sarah Fox. These are my friends. We've been out amongst the muggles; can't let them know about us, can we?" Buffy asked, referring to their weird dress. When she uttered the word muggles, everyone relaxed and began talking once again. The atmosphere warmed up quite a bit.

"Well, it's a lovely place you have here. I need to stop at Gringotts quickly; otherwise I'd stay for a drink. It was nice to meet you." Buffy quickly ushered everyone away before anyone could ask questions.

"What's Gringotts?" Willow asked once they had exited the bar and entered into a courtyard with not exit.

"And where are we?" Xander added, looking around at the only items scattering the place: a trashcan and a few weeds.

"Gringotts is a bank, and we're at the entrance to Diagon Alley," Buffy said distractedly. "Unfortunately I don't have my wand. Willow, do you think you can open this door?"

"What door?" Willow looked at Buffy as if she was crazy; a brick wall surrounded them.

"It's hidden. Three up, two across from the trashcan. I think. Just give the brick a little push with your magic; a tap of some sort." Buffy pointed out the bricks and encouraged Willow, who did as she was directed.

To everyone but Buffy's surprise, the brick began to jiggle and a hole appeared at its centre. With each passing second, the hole grew bigger and bigger until a massive archway took the place of the once solid brick wall.

"Awesome," Xander breathed, breaking the silence.

"Come on, it gets better inside." Buffy led them down the cobbled street with shops on both sides. There was a cauldron shop, and Apothecary, an Owl Emporium, a bookstore, a quidditch shop, etc. Standing out amongst the smaller shops was a massive white building.

"That's Gringotts," Buffy said, pointing to the huge structure. "And those are the goblins that run it," she added when she saw Willow give a little start. "Don't mess with them - they're nasty little creatures."

Because Buffy didn't have a vault, she decided to open an account. She was sure it would come in handy later. The goblin, a mean looking one named Griphook, gave her a key, emphasizing that she shouldn't lose it.

Then, she changed some of her American money into Wizarding money, much to the surprise of the goblin. She didn't have any British pounds yet; she hadn't found the need for them as it would have been two exchanges. This way she saved time and money. Amazingly enough, the US dollar had a better exchange rate.

Buffy didn't have to worry about money anymore because the insurance company paid her nicely after all her belongings were in the hole that used to be Sunnydale.

While she was busy with the transactions, her friends stood mesmerized by the whole place. Xander was flat out staring at the grumpy goblins while Willow tried to look anywhere but them. Anya, on the other hand, was much more fascinated with the large jewels and precious gems that were being measured along various countertops.

"Look at that Ruby…." She moaned, grasping Xander's arm. "So much money everywhere… I think I'm going to go into banking. Retail is over."

Giles was more focused on the transaction Buffy was dealing with than anything else. Although he did keep sneaking glances at the goblins when he thought no one was looking.

Once everything was in order, Buffy led her friends to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "When in Rome…" Buffy said gloomily.

"I thought Romans wore togas," Xander said.

"No, it's a saying. 'When in Rome, do as the Romans,'" Willow explained.

"So, no they don't wear togas?" Xander asked, ignoring the latter part of her sentence.

"Yes they do, I mean, did, wear togas," Willow said.

"I thought we were getting robes," Anya interjected. "Not togas."

"We are," Buffy said, confused as to where this was going.

"And since when are we in Rome?" Anya asked. "This is England."

"Land of the Gileses and tweed." Xander said. "And now Buffy," he added snickering.

"What?" Giles, who was completely baffled, asked.

"When you're in Rome, you wear togas, and if we're in Rome, like Buffy said, but we're clearly not, than why are we buying robes?"

"It's a saying!" Willow yelled frustrated. "We're not actually in Rome and people in Rome don't even dress in togas anymore!"

"We could go into the store and get the robes so that people out here would stop looking at us," Buffy said, ending the confusion.

They each got fitted with a few robes, because they didn't know exactly how long they would be there. Giles and Xander stuck with basic black, not daring to chance much else.

The girls, however, chose a black one and two coloured ones, each suiting their own tastes. Buffy had been forced into choosing a blue one, to bring out her eyes, and a green one, to bring out her real eye colour when she changed them back.

When Buffy pulled out the money to pay for everything, Anya's eyes went wide. "Is that gold?" she asked, scooting towards Buffy.

"Yes," Buffy said slowly.

"Real gold?" Anya asked, reaching her hand out towards the money before Buffy quickly snatched her hand away and handed it to Madam Malkin.

"I'm sorry," Buffy apologized to the storekeeper. "My friend is crazy. She can't control herself sometimes; it's a sad disease."

"Hey!" Anya said, disappointed when the gold disappeared and then offended with Buffy's words.

"Look, there she goes again. Thank you so much!" Buffy said, dragging her friends out the doors.

Xander took his cue to calm Anya down while they headed to the one store Buffy desperately wanted to go.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Olivanders.

Buffy pushed open the door and stepped into the small, dark, and dusty room. A bell jingled, announcing their arrival.

There wasn't much room, but all five of them squeezed together. Giles sat on the single chair, leaving more room for those standing.

"It reminds me of the library," Willow whispered quietly, gazing at the shelves full of long rectangular boxes.

The back of Buffy's neck tingled, just like it had when she'd first come here. There was something about the magic in this place…

She felt someone in the shadows near her right and she turned, looking into the darkness.

"Good afternoon," an old man greeted softly, emerging from the shadows that Buffy was staring at.

The other four occupants of the room jumped at the sudden arrival of the man.

He stepped toward Buffy, his pale eyes searching her blue ones, searching her soul. What he was looking for, no one knew, but he always seemed to find it.

He gave a startled gasp and took half a step back. "It cannot be," he exclaimed. "But it is you. It must be you. Elizabeth Potter."

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CHAPTER 5: SPEECHLESS

Buffy was speechless after Olivander's announcement. She didn't expect anyone to recognize her that quickly. She had been gone for eleven years and didn't think she looked that much like her fifteen-year-old self.

"How did you...?" Buffy finally sputtered out, the friends beside her equally astonished.

"Know?" Ollivander finished. "My dear girl, you cannot hide behind a blue colour. The eyes are the windows to the soul. It is how I read people to find the wand best for them. Of course it doesn't always work well, as I'm sure you remember," he said, referring to when Buffy had waved almost every wand in the store before finding the right one.

"But how can it be you?" he asked again, looking her over just to be sure.

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

Olivander paused a moment, considering, then said bluntly, "You're dead."

Buffy blinked, uncertain if she had heard correctly, but afraid that she had. "I'm sorry?"

"You are supposed to be dead. There was a body and a funeral sixteen years ago."

"I don't... I don't understand," Buffy said, lost and confused. Everything seemed to be unravelling. Her return to the wizarding world wasn't supposed to turn out like this.

"The night the Death Eaters attacked your house, you were taken and killed. Alastor Moody brought your body back. You were dead," Olivander explained, confused by her confusion.

"No," Buffy said, sure of at least one thing. "Moody saved me; he brought me to America. He was supposed to..." Buffy's eyes widened with realization as she trailed off. "Moody was supposed to kill me. Obviously he'd have to fake my death, otherwise I'd be found. I can't believe it!"

"Wait, I'm sorry," Giles interrupted, catching what the others had not. "Did you say sixteen years ago?"

"Yes, which is very curious. You don't look over twenty-five."

"I'm twenty-six," Buffy said slowly. "Why would I be dead for sixteen years if I'm only twenty-six? It's not possible."

"What year is it again?" Giles asked, prepared to do calculations. He had lost track of time since the battle with The First. So many things had happened that the date seemed unimportant.

"1993," Willow supplied. Olivander started at her. "What?"

"It's 1999."

Now it was the Scooby Gang's turn to stare.

"It's the thirteenth of September, 1999," Olivander reiterated.

Xander started laughing. "That was a good one. For a second I actually believed you. 'It's 1999,'" Xander said in a obviously fake British accent. "Nice trick to play on the stupid Americans."

"Xander," Willow chided quietly. "We didn't even say anything before. How would he know we're Americans?"

"But it's not 1999. How could we have lost five years of our lives?"

Olivander quickly disappeared and reappeared without any noise. He was carrying with him a newspaper dated the thirteenth of September 1999.

"The First couldn't do that, could he?" Buffy asked doubtfully.

"I suppose it's possible, but it doesn't make much sense," Giles said thoughtfully. "What does It have to gain?"

"How about making my life more miserable than it already is? It does seem to have a big problem with me," Buffy said.

"Yes, but I doubt that it could do something that drastic; all of us are affected." No one really questioned Olivander's statement. Strange things had happened to them before and though he seemed creepy, they had no reason not to trust him.

Trapped in his chair with bodies taking up every bit of space in the small room, Giles could only take off his glasses and massage his eyes.

"We must be missing something," Willow said, fidgeting.

"Yeah, five years of our lives," Xander said, leaning against the door.

"But we didn't actually lose it," Buffy said. "I mean," Buffy continued quickly, sending a quick glare at Xander before he could retort, "It's not like we woke up one morning and were five years older. We still look like we think we should."

"So somehow time must have stood still, causing the rest of the world to go faster," Willow said, excited that she might have solved part of the mystery.

"That's a possibility," Giles admitted, chewing lightly on the end of his glasses.

"Or, something else might have happened," Buffy said.

"You sure have a lot of theories," Xander said, fake-suspiciously. "You didn't hocus pocus us did you?"

Buffy looked at him innocently and held up her hands at his accusing finger. "I'm clean."

Everyone turned, as much as they could in the cramped space, to look at Willow, who opened her eyes wide in surprise.

"I didn't do it!" she cried indignantly, twisting her hands in front of her. "I think," she added meekly.

"No, I don't think one person could be strong enough to stop time for five years," Giles said.

"That's what I was thinking. But what if..." Buffy trailed off to find a better way to approach the topic. "In different dimensions, time travels at different rates. In some demon dimensions, one day on Earth is a hundred years down there." Buffy was thinking back on the time she had been in a demon dimension, courtesy of Ken, a demon luring runaways and using them as a source of labour. And she also thought of Angel, and when his three months away from her had been several hundred years down in hell.

Thinking about angel made Buffy pause. Just days ago, she had told Angel that she was cookie dough, waiting to finish baking. She had pretty much told him that she would come back to him.

But that was before she found out who she really was. Some people say that the past shapes who one shall become. She was a different person that she used to be. She had different memories that shaped who she was and now she knew the truth. There wasn't a huge change between her old self and her newer self, but there was a difference. She had been though a lot, and her experiences had changed her. She wasn't the same girl she once thought she was.

She had been so wrapped up in her new memories that she didn't even tell him how the battle went. For all he knew, she was dead in the middle of the crater, assuming someone else didn't tell him. She had hopped on the first plane out of town, without a thought to him.

She did love Angel, there was no doubt about it. Some part of her would always love him, but a larger part of her heart belonged to someone else.

Even after all these years, all the experiences she had, both good and bad, just thinking about Sirius made her heart beat faster. Yes, she had just gotten her memories, and old feelings, back and they seemed so strong and recent, but they were fading a little. Buffy kept replaying everything in her mind, trying to hold on to as much as she could.

Logically, she knew that they were both different people now. They were older, and as far as she knew, he was probably married with kids. However, her heart wouldn't listen to her head.

Every time she thought about him, a pleasant tingle ran up her spine and made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Her stomach would flutter and her heart would beat a little faster.

She had hope that there was a chance for them to get back together. If for nothing else than just to get to know each other again. Heck, maybe she'd end up hating him.

Buffy snorted softly at the possibility that she could ever hate Sirius. It was a ludicrous thought.

"Let's say time stood still for us," Anya began, pulling Buffy out of her thoughts. "We wouldn't ever be able to figure out how or when it happened, because nothing would have actually happened to us. One second we might have been talking, then we'd be frozen for five years and then we'd pick right back where we left off, never noticing the change."

"No, I don't suppose we would," Giles said with a sigh, replacing his glasses and running a hand tiredly through his hair. "However, I fully intend to follow up on this matter. I'd like to know how, and why, we have gotten five years behind the rest of the world."

"Maybe it's the wizarding world tha''s ahead, not us that are behind," Willow suggested.

"Nope," Xander said, indicating a battered ticket stub he pulled from his jeans' pocket. "The airplane ticket says it's 1999."

"In any case, we'll look into the matter later. W''ve kept this man waiting long enough," Giles said, referring to the forgotten shopkeeper.

"You aren't a bother," Olivander said, dismissing the idea. "I don't have anywhere to be, and I find your predicament quite curious." Ollivander turned to look at Buffy. "I believe I have something of yours, my dear." He turned around and slinked toward the far corners of the shop, out of her sight.

He came back soon after, just as quietly as he had left, brushing off the top of a very dusty box' It was a thin, narrow, brown box that looked a little worn. Cobwebs were stuck to the sides.

"Here you go," Olivander said, opening the lid and offering her the box.

Buffy stood transfixed. Her fingers slowly rose up, tracing the rim of the box, not daring to touch the narrow piece of wood inside.

"How did you get my wand?" Buffy finally asked in a soft, awestruck voice.

"It was very curious. After your funeral, Albus Dumbledore came to me with your wand. He told me to keep it, as another customer might buy it. I believe he thought a relative of yours might take to it eventually. He saw no need to destroy such a powerful wand."

Buffy's fingers gently reached forward, stroking the smooth surface.

"Go ahead," Ollivander prodded with a knowing smile on his face.

Buffy glanced up briefly, the first time since he came back with the box, and met his eyes. Her fingers then curled around the wand, lifting it out of its package. A rush of warmth flooded through her and Buffy closed her eyes at the illustrious feeling. She waved her hand and a streak of red sparks shot out of the tip.

Buffy sighed happily at the well-known weight in her hand. "It's good to be back."

"It's a pleasure to have you back Miss Potter," Ollivander said, clasping her hand.

"So that's your wand?" Xander asked, slightly disappointed. "I was thinking of something a little, I dunno, cooler."

"Make no mistake. This is a very powerful wand. It's not to be taken lightly. Willow and a phoenix tail feather, a high-quality combination."

"Willow's a part of the wand?" Anya asked, confusion marring her features.

"No, Willow is the wood it is made out of," Buffy clarified. She turned to her best friend, a redhead like Lily, and said, "I guess it was meant to be!"

A smile rose on Willow lips, lighting her whole face up. "Yep! And don't ever doubt it!"

"Never," Buffy said seriously, shaking her head. She turned to Olivander and thanked him profusely. He wouldn't accept any money, as she had already paid for it once.

As they were leaving the dusty shop, stepping outside onto the brightly lit road, Buffy thought of one more thing she had to ask of the old man.

"Could you not tell anyone I'm back? Not even Dumbledore. It's kind of a surprise," Buffy said.

Olivander nodded in understanding. It would be quite a shock when the wizarding world found out about her return. She would let it be known when she was ready. "Of course," he said. "Your secret is safe with me."

Buffy smiled and stepped out of the shop one last time. She paused momentarily, letting her eyes adjust to the drastic lighting difference.

"Did you ask him where you could find James?" Willow asked.

"No, he wouldn't know. He's not a big gossiper. I don't know if he's ever even come out of his shop."

"So, where to next?" Xander asked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I want to get an owl," Buffy said. "It'll make communication easier later." Buffy led the group down the cobbled path, glancing through the windows of all the different shops they passed on the way to the Owl Emporium.

Buffy should have known better. She should have prepared them, warned them, done something. Unfortunately, she had forgotten. It had been a while since she had been to Diagon Alley, and she didn't even think about Flourish and Blotts.

When they passed the bookstore, Willow became an excited, chattering mess. She could barely form a coherent word, let alone a whole sentence. Giles seemed transfixed, slowly walking towards the shop, as if pulled by an invisible line.

"Why don't you go browse in the bookstore and I'll meet you back here once I've finished buying my owl," Buffy said, amused at their behavior.

Willow nodded and went off after Giles. Through the window they could see stacks of books lining every wall, from floor to ceiling. This was a wizarding bookstore, full of texts that would not be readily available elsewhere. Giles could find some books to replace those he lost when Sunnydale caved in and Willow could find almost anything she wanted. They'd be happy to stay there forever.

Buffy went off with Xander and Anya, who weren't big book people. They were mostly quiet on the walk to the Emporium, just absorbing the new sensations, people and things, of the world around them.

People were bustling around, many carrying bags full of purchases from the variety of stores lining the road. A mother was sitting with her daughter eating ice cream. Two middle-aged witches were walking down the street, chatting about the days' events. A man with long blonde hair, who looked vaguely familiar to Buffy, walked out of the Apothecary, carrying a full bag of supplies.

Soon, the trio reached Eeylops Owl Emporium. Buffy pushed open the door to the shop, and was once again momentarily disoriented while her eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness.

In that moment, something fluttered by her and rested on her shoulder, startling her. When she regained her sight, her eyes widened in surprise. 


	3. Chapters 6 to 10

CHAPTER 6: BIRDS AND BOOKS

"That is the strangest looking owl I've ever seen," Xander exclaimed, checking out the bird that had landed on Buffy's shoulder. He dropped the bag of robes by his side, surprised at the sudden presence of such a large bird.

"It's not an owl, Xander," Anya said. "It's a phoenix."

Buffy was still staring up at the large firebird in shock. But a young man hustling over to them captured her attention.

"I'm so sorry," he said, gesturing to the bird. "She just showed up here a couple of days ago and won't leave." The worker tried to coax the phoenix off of Buffy's shoulder, but to no avail. The bird apparently liked it there.

"I've always like phoenixes," Buffy said softly. She brought her hand up gently to the red bird, and the bird nuzzled it lightly.

"Well..." the man said, thunderstruck. "Ever since she showed up one day, she's been off by her lonesome. Usually doesn't come near anyone. Of course she did give a couple of my customers a hard time."

"Does she have a name?" Buffy asked, still petting the bird.

"Not that I know of," he offered. Taking in the pair, he added, "It seems to me that she's been waiting for you."

"What?" Buffy asked, taking her attention off the bird and onto the tall, brown haired man in front of her. He wasn't bad looking, and his brown eyes were full of warmth, but Buffy didn't feel the slightest inclination to get to know him. Once upon a time, she might have jumped at the chance to flirt with such a cute guy, but things had changed.

"Phoenixes are very smart, and they don't trust just anyone." The man paused, letting Buffy absorb the information. "Since she seems to like you so much, you should take her."

"What?" Buffy asked again, a little more startled than before. "I couldn't possibly... I wouldn't even know what to do with her, or how to care for her."

"I think you're perfect," the man said. "There's not much to it, I'm sure. Phoenixes are very self-reliant. How do you think they live so long?"

"Every time they die, their body bursts into flames and they are reborn in the ashes," Anya said. "So if you kill it, you can always try again."

"I can see why she likes you," Xander joked.

"Yes, well," the man said awkwardly, not understanding his comment.

"I don't know," Buffy said uncomfortably. This was so sudden. She had no idea where she was headed or where she would end up. There was no telling what would happen, and what was she supposed to do with a phoenix until then?

"I don't think you have much of a choice," the man said. "Once they pick someone, they are loyal to them until their death. They are excellent judges of character."

Buffy looked at the bird. She had always wanted a phoenix...

Seeing her indecision, the man added, "Plus you'd be doing me a huge favour. I run an Owl Emporium, not a bird store. The owls are a little flustered by her presence."

For the first time since she entered, Buffy noticed the large amount of owls cluttering the shop. There were big ones and small ones, barn owls to great horned owls. Some were in cages; others were on perches strategically placed around the store. Small, glittery eyes stared back at her from the dimly lit store, and the rustling of feathers and soft hoots were so noticeable, Buffy couldn't believe she didn't hear it before.

"I actually came here for an owl," Buffy said, remembering her mission.

"Please," the worker all but begged. "I'm sure she wants to go with you. She'd probably go with you whether you want her to or not, but it'll be easier if you just said yes." The phoenix trilled a melodious note, seemingly in agreement with the man.

A warmth spread through Buffy, something she had not felt in the longest time rose up in her chest. Hope. And love. That made up her mind.

"Okay," Buffy said finally. "But I still want an owl, for you guys," she finished, turning her gaze to Anya and Xander.

"Thank you," the man said. "You're a lifesaver."

"You have no idea," Xander said, smiling at the man and clasping Buffy on her free shoulder.

The man looked a little confused, but then shook it off, believing it to be some American thing. "What kind of owl were you looking for?" he asked more calmly. "Anything in particular?"

"Not really," Buffy admitted. "I think we'll just look around."

"That's fine. I'll be over by the counter if you need anything."

"Thanks," Buffy said, walking slowly around the shop, admiring the various owls. "What do you guys think?"

"I don't know," Xander said. "I've never shopped for owls before. What's the difference?"

"Honestly? I have no idea," Buffy said.

"I like that one," Anya said suddenly, pointing to a dark cage in one corner of the shop. The three walked closer to the cage to get a better look at the owl.

Inside the cage stood a white owl with dark brown, almost black, bars and spots decorating the feathers all over. The black beak stood out amongst her white, rounded head and yellow eyes. The bird was a little less than two feet tall and looked as if it weighed no more than four pounds.

"It's pretty," Buffy said. She looked to the left of the cage where she found a small description of the bird. "It's a snowy owl," she read.

"I like it. Let's buy it," Anya said, picking up the cage by the handle on top, and carrying it over to the counter.

"You want to buy that owl?" the worker asked, surprised when Anya gently laid the cage of the counter.

"Yes," Anya said eagerly. "I would like to purchase this bird. Buffy, pay the nice man."

Buffy rolled her eyes and ignored Anya's behaviour, well used to it by now. She focused her attention on the man behind the counter. "What do you mean 'that one'?" Buffy asked. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"Is it a boy?" Anya asked worriedly, glancing towards the caged owl.

The shopkeeper frowned at Anya and said, "It's a girl."

Anya visibly relaxed, letting out a huge sigh of relief. "Good, then there's nothing wrong. Don't scare me like that!"

"There's nothing wrong really," the man assured, overlooking her insinuation that men had problems. "It's just... interesting that you chose that owl."

"Why?" Buffy asked, getting a little annoyed that the man was being so evasive.

"It's just that no one ever seems to want her. She's been here for several years and she always gets overlooked."

"Maybe it's because you have her in the darkest corner of the shop," Xander said.

"No, people have looked at her, but they always walk away and choose a different one. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with her if no one bought her soon. Her sister was bought about five years ago, and I swear that owl misses her. It's very strange."

"Well, Anya's a strange girl; no one understands why she does the things she does," Xander said fondly. "She's a mystery to us all. It seems like a perfect match."

"It must be my lucky day," the worker said. "You've taken the two birds that were bringing me down. I'll give you a special deal, only three galleons."

Buffy rummaged through her change purse, collecting three large gold coins and handing them over the counter. As the man received the payment, Anya grabbed the top of the cage and pulled it off the counter.

"You're a very good girl, aren't you?" Anya said, looking at the bird. The owl hooted softly in response.

"I'll tell you one thing," the man said as the three walked toward the door. "That owl loves rabbits. More so than any other owl I've had." When he said rabbits, Anya gave a small start.

"Ah," Xander said knowingly. "Mystery solved." He bent down and picked up the bag of robes he had dropped when they first came in.

"I'm sorry?" the man asked, not understanding.

"Anya hates rabbits," Buffy explained. The man's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he turned to Anya.

"I thought all girls loved rabbits," he said.

"Not our Ahn," Xander said, wrapping his arm around his shoulders.

"Fluffy, hoppy, twitchy little monsters," Anya cried. "Now look what you've done! I'm sure to have nightmares."

"And your faithful owl will eat them all up, saving you from the vicious bunnies," Xander teased.

Anya brightened suddenly, looking at her owl. "I knew I liked you for a reason."

"Thanks for the birds," Buffy said, leading them towards the door.

"I'm the one that should be thanking you," he called. "Enjoy your new friends!"

"We will," Buffy said, pushing open the door. The phoenix, still on her shoulder trilled happily.

"Now that is a great bird," Xander exclaimed. "Every time she does that, a warm feeling spreads through me. It makes me all happy inside; it's much better than listening to country music."

"I can't believe I have a phoenix," Buffy said, still in shock. "I mean, I've always wanted one, but I never thought I'd get one. They're so rare."

"It goes perfectly with your necklace," Xander said.

Buffy gently rubbed the pendant between her two fingers, thinking about Sirius. "You know what? I have the strangest feeling that I've seen her somewhere before. I just can't remember where." The phoenix picked at her pocket, where her wand was, and Buffy understood. "You're the one whose feather is in my wand?" A red head nodded up and down in understanding. "Wow. Um... thanks." Buffy didn't know what else to say, but she had a strange feeling. Maybe she'd seen the bird in her dreams before.

"Uh, Buffy?" Xander asked quietly. "Why is everyone staring at us?"

Buffy glanced around and noticed that they were getting quite a few stares from the people on the street.

"It's the phoenix," Buffy realized. "They're so rare, and it's not like you can just buy them. They pick someone and they stay with them. You've got to go," Buffy said to the bird. "You can find me later if you want. Once we're out of Diagon Alley, okay?" The red bird gave a sad whistle but disappeared.

"Whoa!" Xander said, "I didn't know they could do that!"

"Yeah. And they can take someone with them as well."

"Now that is my kind of pet. Whenever you're in a tough spot, here comes your phoenix and poof, you're gone."

"Their tears have healing powers and they can carry extremely heavy loads," Buffy added.

"How do you know so much?"

"In my third year at Hogwarts, in my Care of Magical Creatures class, I had to write an essay on a creature of my choice. I chose a phoenix. I've liked them ever since I can remember, and I don't know why. I used to beg my parents to get me one for my birthdays and it was always the first item on my Christmas List." Buffy fondly remembered her past, sharing the memories with her friends. "James and Sirius used to tease me about my obsession. But then, Sirius went and got me the closest thing to a phoenix I've ever had. Until now, at least."

"The pendent," Xander said, watching a small smile play on the Slayer's lips as she thought about her old love.

"I wonder what they'd say about my new phoenix."

"I guess we'll find out soon enough, right?" Xander asked. "That's what we're here for."

"Yeah," Buffy said, butterflies coming to her stomach.

"We'll go and get Willow and Giles and then we'll find your family," Xander said. He could tell Buffy was starting to get nervous. Not that she showed it-she never showed any weakness anymore-but he had known her long enough to tell.

"It's going to be fine," he said, looking in her eyes. "They're going to be thrilled to see you, and they'll love you, and everything is going to go fine."

"Promise?" Buffy asked in a small voice.

"Would I ever lie to you?" Xander joked, lightening the mood.

"Would you like me to answer that or shall I just glare?" Buffy asked in her best Giles-like voice, mimicking words he once told her.

"Now that is scary," Xander said. "Don't ever do that again." He backed away from her and started walking to the bookstore, glancing over his shoulder every now and then.

Buffy smiled slightly at his antics. The butterflies disappeared for the time being and she went to catch up to Xander and Anya, who had followed Xander down the street.  
"You know, these robes aren't that bad," Anya said randomly, filling the silence that had fallen over the group.

"They are fairly nice," Xander said appreciatively.

"They don't scratch and I'm not too hot."

"And best of all, we blend in," Buffy said as they approached the bookstore where they left Willow and Giles.

She pushed open the door and walked inside. The old shop was familiar in more ways than one. She remembered browsing through here during the years when she was stuck at home while James and Sirius were at Hogwarts. She remembered coming here to search for books on the required book list for Hogwarts, sneaking in a couple extra when her brother wasn't looking. And lastly, she remembered the Sunnydale Library.

"It smells old and dusty in here," Anya complained. Actually, the store was welcoming and friendly, and very well lit.

"Just like Sunnydale High," Xander said fondly, reflecting back on the better days of their lives.

Buffy was about to respond when a person rounded the corner. Her jaw dropped slightly and her eyes widened in surprise. "Giles!" she reprimanded. "What are you doing? Do you plan to buy the whole bookstore?" The amount of books in his basket was astonishing.

Giles looked up, noticing the trio for the first time. He wore a goofy grin on his face and he appeared vaguely distracted. And very excited. "They have the best selection of books here... I haven't been anywhere this good in a long time. And believe me, I've looked. This will really help replace some of the books I've lost. And the nice man made my basket feather light," Giles added with another quick silly smile.

"What have we done?" Xander asked in mock horror. "We left him alone in a huge bookstore." He turned to Buffy accusingly. "What were you thinking?"

"Me?" Buffy began. "I didn't leave him alone, he was with... Willow!" Looking over Xander's shoulder, Buffy saw her red headed friend in the same state as her watcher. Her basket was also overflowing with books.

"Look what I found!" She exclaimed excitedly as she came over to greet her best friend. She was bouncing up and down a little as she held up a book in front of Buffy's face. "It'll help us out when I teach you about wandless magic." She put that book down and started to pick up another one, "And this one is about..."

"Willow," Xander said, laying his hand gently on her arm, lowering the book back into the cart. "I'm going to have to cut you off."

Willow's smile faded to be replaced by a look of growing terror. "No. You can't cut me off. I don't need to be cut off." Xander just nodded sadly at her while she became increasingly more panicked.

"But I just got here," she said, backing away. "There's still so much more to see, and read, and buy." Buffy took the basket from her friend's hands and Xander steered her towards the door. "NO!"

"Sorry, Will. You can come back another time." This quieted her down a bit, and Xander was able to get her safely out of the shop.

Buffy and Anya quietly went up to Giles, who had only been paying a little attention to what was going on.

As he realized what the two girls were planning on doing, his grip tightened on his basket and he backed away slowly. "Now see here," he said nervously. "I am your elder and as such I should be treated with respect."

Buffy yanked the basket out of his hands.

"Hey!" Giles cried out, pouting a little.

"You may be my elder, but you're acting like a little kid."

"I am not," Giles said indignantly.

"Are too," Buffy responded and then rolled her eyes at the direction they were heading. "Anya, could you please take him outside? I'll pay for the books and meet you in a minute."

Anya nodded and grabbed Giles' wrist, with her free hand and guided him to where Xander and Willow were waiting. "Come along you crazy book-obsessed man."

Buffy took the two baskets over to the counter and placed them on the top, ready to be purchased.

The elderly looking man at the counter gave a smile as he noticed the piles of books. "Do you like to read?"

"No," Buffy said automatically. "Yes," Buffy corrected, changing her mind, "I mean kind of. I used to read but I don't anymore. It's complicated."

"I see," the man said, clearly not understanding.

"They aren't for me," Buffy said. "My friends are a little book crazy."

"A little?" he asked amused as he totaled the price.

"A lot," Buffy admitted. She counted out the total (she barely had enough!) and handed it to the man.

As he took out a small bag, placed a bottomless bag spell on it, and a lightweight spell on it, Buffy thought about what she was going to do next.

First she had to find out where James lived and then he'd know where to find their parents, Sirius, Remus and Lily. She didn't care much about Peter.

The man packing her books was old enough, he might know where James lived, or at least know where she could find him.

"Do you happen to know James Potter?" Buffy asked suddenly, her mind made up.

The man paused in his packing, startled, and glanced up at her. He gave a slight chuckle, believing it to be some kind of joke. "Of course I do, everyone does."

Buffy was surprised to hear that, but tried not to look it, and laughed a little at her 'mistake' as well. "Obviously you do, I was just wondering where I could find him."

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CHAPTER 7: LOST

"I was just wondering if you knew where I could find him," Buffy said, trying to be casual and hide the anxiety, happiness, and fear in her voice.

"I know where he is. Do you need directions?" the old man asked, thinking she was just another tourist. Over the years, people from all over had come by, asking for directions to the Potters' Memorial. They wanted to pay their respect for the couple that had given their lives, and were the proud parents of the famous Boy-Who-Lived, savior of the wizarding world.

"If you don't mind," Buffy said with a smile. This was it. She was going to see her brother. It had been so long. Buffy could barely contain herself as the gray-headed man scribbled a small map of familiar looking street names.

"It's hidden in the middle of a forest. Once you get there, it's the third row, fourth from the left," he said, handing the paper over.

Buffy grasped the paper, assuming the 'there' the old man referred to was the subdivision. She had no reason to suspect otherwise.

"Thank you," Buffy said, looking at the paper with wide eyes. She was now holding the key to her reunion. Her new life. Or, her old life, depending on how one looked at it.

"My pleasure," the old man replied smiling and handing over the bag of books. Buffy accepted the bag and slowly trudged out of the store, her eyes never leaving the sacred paper.

The fear she was feeling was being replaced with excitement. She was going to see James again. Her older brother!

The one who taught her the rules of their favorite game, Quidditch. The one who let her play with his friends every once in a while. Who came to her aid and never left her side after a particularly vicious quidditch game landed her in the hospital wing for two days. Who always defended her at school and looked out for her, scaring away the Slytherin jerks (especially Severus Snape), not that she needed help with that.

He even got into a huge fight with his best friend because he didn't want his little sister heartbroken.

Buffy smiled gently at the memory of her brother chasing Sirius around the house, and at the yelling that ensued. James yelling at Sirius, asking him in the hell he thought he was doing, Sirius defending himself, and Buffy stuck in between, yelling at them both to stop yelling. Eventually tempers died down and James grew to accept their relationship, although it didn't mean he liked it.

Sirius knew, best friend or not, if he hurt Buffy, then he'd wish he'd never even met James.

Lost in her thoughts as she walked out of the bookstore, she was surprised when the bag of books was unceremoniously ripped from her hands.

Buffy glanced up from the paper and was preparing to attack an unknown enemy when she heard Willow's voice complaining.

"Why is there only one bag? Did you put some back?" Willow asked hysterically. She began rifling through the contents of the bag, determined to find what Buffy had shelved. "I needed all of those! Some of them were for you! How could you just..."

Buffy finally found her voice as her brain caught up to her body. "Chill, Will. I bought all the books that were in the baskets. By the way, I expect to be paid back for those. Who knew books could be so expensive?"

"There's no way you bought all of them. The bag's not big enough!"

"It's magic, Will," Buffy said slowly, amazed at her friend. "You know that thing we do?"

"Oh, right," Willow said sheepishly, concluding her search through the bag.

"So what'd ya got there Buff?" Xander asked, noticing the paper in her hand. "Did you get a number with those books?"

"Nope, I got an address," Buffy said. "Well, not an address exactly. More like a map."

"Well," Willow said uncertainly. "Isn't that going a little fast? I mean you just met him..."

"He just wants you for sex; that's obvious," Anya said bluntly.

"I don't remember seeing too many guys in there, and you weren't even inside very long," Willow continued her ramble with a thoughtful frown. "I mean, the only guy you could've met was the cashier."

"You mean the old man?" Anya asked. "But he had to be over eighty."

"I know you have a thing for older guys, Buff, but don't you think an eighty year old man who actually looks his age is pushing it?" Xander asked good-naturedly.

"It's a map to my brother's," Buffy said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh," Willow said, and everyone was quiet for a minute, absorbing the new information

"Yeah," Buffy replied quietly, once again looking at the rough map she was holding.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Xander asked, clapping his hands.

Buffy looked up at Xander and a smile grew on her lips, the first real smile Xander had seen since they brought her back from Heaven. Even before that.

"Absolutely nothing," Buffy said.

Xander knew that they had done the right thing in coming here. Even if she hadn't seen him in over a decade, he was still family. The only family she had left. He had missed that smile, the way her whole face lit up, and he could just tell that she was happy.

Happiness like that was hard to come by in their lives, especially for her. As one of her best friends, it was his duty to make sure that she was happy; that she had enough will to fight another day. Lately he'd been lacking in his department.

So he held out his arm, and addressed Buffy. "After you, my lady," Xander joked.

"Thank you, kind sir," Buffy joked back with a curtsey and a giggle.

Willow and Giles exchanged startled looks at Buffy's happy behavior. A real smile and a giggle?

"Well, let's go," Willow said with a smile of her own.

Buffy gently took a hold of Xander's arm and they led the group back to the Leaky Cauldron.

As they entered the dimly lit pub, Buffy saw Tom by the behind the bar, right where she had left him. "Hi Tom," she said with a cheerful wave and smile. Tom gave a nod and a small smile back, still unsure exactly who she was, but thought it was rude to ask.

The group moved quickly though the pub, as they wanted to avoid any questions.

"So, should we walk or get a cab?" Xander asked as they stepped back onto the busy street of London.

"Cab!" Buffy said, noticing a cab coming their way, and she released Xander so that she could wave down the cab.

"That was fortunate," Giles said. "But will we all fit into one cab?"

"Of course," Xander said. "But you should probably sit shotgun. The three girls can sit with me in the back." Xander wrapped an arm around Willow's shoulders, and the other around Anya's. "Oh, the fun we'll have."

"I doubt the cab driver would appreciate that," Giles said as he watched Buffy talk to the cab driver from the passenger window.

"He says he can take us," Buffy told them as she turned around. They all piled into the car, throwing their purchases into the trunk.

Buffy, from her place on the left of Xander, who sat with Anya on his lap and Willow on his right, handed the driver the map. "Could you take us there?"

"Not a problem," the driver replied, taking the piece of parchment, and eyeing it curiously for a moment, before he drove on.

The trip wasn't very long and Buffy was grateful. They had tried to make some small talk, but they couldn't talk about much in front of the muggle driver. It mostly consisted of:

"You chaps from America then? On vacation?"

"Those three are, but I'm English, and so is she, amazingly enough."

"Right you are. Are you enjoying your stay?"

"Yep. Always wanted to visit the land of the tweed."

"Pardon?"

"Never mind him, he just likes to talk."

"So, have you seen any of the sights yet?"

"No, we've just arrived and haven't had a chance to look around yet."

"What do you recommend? It'd be interesting to get a native's point of view."

"And what am I? A bloody alien?"

"Well, there's a lot to see. I'm sure you'd be interested in the London Bridge, and the Tower of London, and then there's Bath, the place of the old Roman Baths..."

While Willow, Giles and the cab driver engaged in the variety of sight seeing places in England, Buffy stared out the window.

Xander, watching Buffy quietly, squeezed her hand gently. "Almost there."

Buffy turned around and gave Xander a smile. "I know." There was no fear anymore. She was still very nervous, but excitement and happiness were bubbling up inside her and taking up all the room she had. "I was just thinking about when we were kids. Some of the things we did... We were crazy. James especially."

"You were a wild child?" Xander asked.

"Not really wild; more like exceptionally curious and fun," Buffy defended. "James was a prankster. You two will probably get along well."

"I'm not really so much a prankster as I am a jokester," Xander said reflectively.

"That's true. But I was a prankster too, I had to follow in my brother's footsteps, and I still love you."

"You were a prankster?" Xander asked surprised.

"Oh yeah," Buffy chuckled. "I mean, James was definitely worse, but I did pull some very nice tricks. When I wasn't studying, of course," Buffy said slyly.

"You studied?"

"Yep. I liked school. I was top of my class."

"You were at the top of your class?" Xander repeated stupidly.

"I even read!" Buffy said. Seeing Xander's reaction she joked, "You know, you look more attractive with your mouth closed."

At that moment, the cab slowed down and then stopped next to a large patch of woods. "Here you are," the driver announced.

"Thanks," Buffy said, exiting the cab while Giles pulled out his English pounds for payment.

"Um, Buffy?" Willow said as the cab drove away. "Where are we?" They were facing a large patch of forest, with no buildings around.

"It's magic, remember?" Buffy said as she walked towards the tress. "The wizarding community is well hidden from muggles, even though they live amongst each other. It's like the Leaky Cauldron. Just keep your eyes open for an entrance."

They all walked into the woods, looking around for something. Soon they spread out just enough to cover more ground.

"There!" Xander said, pointing at a place in the distance.

"I see a clearing," Anya said.

Every gathered around and they started to walk towards it. Buffy's heart rate picked up in excitement. "This is it," she said with a smile.

Leaves crackled under their feet and the trees began to thin out the closer they walked toward the lighted clearing.

Buffy took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Unfortunately it didn't work. "I'm going to see James!"

The setting sun caused shadows to fall within the forest and the lights from the clearing looked much more inviting.

Large arches became visible, and a big brick wall circled around and out of sight. The name printed on the large gates became visible and Buffy's smile slipped off her face. Confusion marred her features before realization took a hold of her.

Her heart stopped.

"Why are we at a cemetery?" Anya asked.

Buffy slowly walked forward, past the large iron gates. She was on autopilot, slowly putting one foot in front of the other. She had to find out. She had to know.

'Third row, fourth from the left. Third row, fourth from the left.' In her mind, Buffy kept repeating what the old man had told her.

'One,' Buffy thought as her foot passed the first row of headstones.

'Two.' Buffy looked ahead, not seeing anything in front of her.

'Three.' Her feet turned off the grassy path onto the side path on her left.

'One.' She didn't hear the footsteps of her friends following a ways behind her.

'Two.' She didn't hear her friends whispering.

"This is gonna kill her," Willow said. "She was getting better since she got her memory back, but if he's... if he's dead, I don't think she's gonna be able to handle it."

'Three.' Her footsteps slowed down even more.

"Why can't they ever give her a break?" Xander asked.

'Four.' Buffy stopped her feet and turned her body to face the headstone. Her gaze focused once again and she dropped her eyes to the block of granite near her feet.

She read the words she dreaded to see and her breath stopped.

What was left of her heart broke. What was left of the tiny fracture pieces of her tattered heart felt as if they were being grinded into a fine powder using a very heavy sledgehammer.

"No," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.

Her friends had caught up to her and saw the name engraved into the granite.

James Potter.

"No," Buffy cried again, a sob rising to her throat. Her hand came up to her mouth, as if she could stifle the cries, but they burst through relentlessly.

Buffy sank to her knees and sobbed, a sound that crushed the hearts of her friends standing nearby. It was the first time anyone had heard her cry, even before she died. She was crying for everything she had lost. Herself, her life, her love, and most of all, she was crying for her brother.

Willow, tears in her own eyes, came forward to hug Buffy and comfort the distressed girl. "Oh Buffy! I'm so sorry."

Buffy grasped onto Willow as if she were her lifeline, but the tears didn't stop. Willow gently rocked Buffy on the dry, hard, and cold cemetery ground.

Xander wrapped Anya in a hug and Giles took off his glasses; none of them could really understand the pain Buffy was in, but they knew she didn't deserve it - how many times had she saved the world? And this is what she got in return? Her family ripped away from her more times than she could count? Buffy was a girl who loved strongly and deeply. She relied on the love of her friends and family to keep her sane in the darkness of her life. She would protect her loved ones with her life, as she had proven time and time again. Losing her loved ones had disastrous consequences.

Buffy had allowed herself to hope. She had thought that for once in her life, things were going to be okay. For the first time since she came back from Heaven, she had been happy; she should have know she was setting herself up for more pain.

It hurt so much! It was inside her, consuming her; it was in her blood, screaming at her from her veins. It was a living thing that never died.

While sobs were still wracking Buffy's small frame, Giles took his watery eyes away for a brief reprieve, and instantly wished he hadn't. He had read the names on the graves to the sides of James' and knew it was only going to get worse for his young charge. To the right, a headstone marked Lily Potter, Buffy's best friend, if he remembered correctly, and presumably James' wife.

On the left stood three more graves bearing the Potter name: two for her parents, and the farthest one away for herself. Elizabeth Potter.

Buffy's gut wrenching sobs were slowing down and she was gasping for the breath she wasn't able to get. Willow was doing her best to calm Buffy down, but it was hard to be a comforter when tears were flowing down her face as well.

Buffy stopped crying, but she didn't get up. Her head was on Willow's lap, and she was curled up in a foetal position. She didn't move and her eyes were staring, unblinking, into the distance.

She looked dead. The only outward sign that she was still alive was her chest laboriously rising up and down. On the inside, she might as well have been dead. She was lost in her own little world of grief. She had lost too much in her life, and losing her brother was the last straw.

"Buffy?" Willow asked, trying to rouse the Slayer.

She didn't move.

"Buffy, please get up," Willow said.

No response.

"The sun is setting and there could be vampires."

Nothing.

"Buffy, please, James wouldn't have wanted you to be like this. He'd want you to be happy."

Not even a blink.

"You still have your parents and Lily, and Sirius, and Remus," Willow tried one last time.

Still nothing.

"Actually, she doesn't," Anya said. "They're right there." Anya had also noticed the surrounding graves and pointed them out to the others.

Willow looked around, confused, and then horrified. "Oh God!"

Anya's statement was the only one to penetrate the deep mist surrounding Buffy's mind. She blinked and sat up, looking around warily at the graves. She could feel more tears rising, but she forced them down.

Lily Potter. 'She must have married James,' Buffy thought.

Marie Potter. 'Mom,' Buffy thought brokenly.

Frank Potter. 'Dad.' She didn't feel anything anymore. They were all dead. Gone. Forever. And they were never coming back.

Unlike her. She could never stay dead, even when she wanted to. She was pulled out of heaven and sucked back into this hell. She had to crawl her way out of her own grave.

Elizabeth Potter. "No," Buffy said, looking at her own tombstone. "No!" She scrambled back until her back was pressing against another slate of cool granite.

"I'm not dead!" She said, shutting her eyes tightly, and clasping her hands over her ears. Images of a coffin appeared in her head. She could still remember being trapped, wanting to be free. She could remember clawing at the lid, which was covered with six feet of heavy dirt.

Dad. Mom. James. Lily. They were all dead, and she didn't get to say goodbye. They were dead and she never knew. They were dead and she didn't save them. She couldn't save them. They were dead and they died, thinking that she was dead.

"No!" Buffy yelled again. "I'm not dead!" This time, the tombstone exploded into a thousand pieces.

Willow yelped and threw up her hands, creating a shield around the five, protecting them from the flying pieces.

Somebody had done this. They had killed her family. It couldn't have been coincidence that the five Potters had died. Somebody was responsible.

Somebody would pay.

Buffy felt anger growing within her and she realized that she wasn't completely empty inside. She was now running on vengeance.

She was going to get revenge.

Buffy stood up. She had a mission now. A purpose. And heaven forbid anyone should stand in her way.

"Buffy?" Giles asked, startled by the look in her eyes, a look he had thankfully not seen in her eyes before. A look he had never wanted to see in her eyes.

"He's going to pay," Buffy said through clenched teeth.

"Who?" Xander asked warily.

"Cornelius Fudge." Her eyes flashed golden.

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CHAPTER 8: REVELATIONS

"Fudge?" Giles asked with surprise. "What does he have to do with this?" Giles was worried for Buffy; he had never seen her like this before, and knew that he had to do something to stop her from doing something she'd never forgive herself for. Hopefully he hadn't lost her yet.

"He's responsible for this, I know it," Buffy stated, trying to walk away, but her friends blocked her path.

"You just found out they were... here," Willow said, trying to avoid the word dead. "How do you know he did it?" Willow asked carefully. She wanted to get her friend to think. If she did, maybe she wouldn't go out and do something rash.

"He's the one who ordered me dead," Buffy said. "Don't you think it's a little odd that both my parents died within a few years after my 'death', and then my brother and his wife died soon after that? It seems a little strange that the whole Potter line is wiped out within a matter of years, and he's the one who started it."

"I don't see another Potter," Anya said suddenly, her attention fixed on 'the whole Potter line' part of Buffy's rant.

"What?" Buffy said harshly.

"The headstone says 'beloved mother' and that one says 'devoted father'," Anya said, pointing out the inscriptions on Lilys and James' tombs. "But I don't see another headstone, unless they don't place the babies with their parents, which would be kind of stupid," Anya said.

Buffy turned around surprised. She hadn't gotten to the inscriptions on the headstones. But there it was, 'mother' and 'father'.

"They had a child?" Buffy said quietly, her anger momentarily forgotten as other emotions swept through her. She was on an emotional roller coaster that had lost all control. She wanted to get off. She felt joy that they had a child, sorrow that she wasn't there for them, despair that the child had lost its parents, and once again anger that they weren't able to grow up with their baby. Another family ruthlessly and needlessly torn apart.

"Why?" Buffy asked quietly, anger seeping into her voice. "Why can't anyone ever let people be happy? Is it too much to ask for?"

No one had anything to say; they were a little shocked by Buffy's reaction. They thought that she might be happy or relieved that she had family left. They didn't expect more anger.

"Well, someone's going to have to show him what it feels like to have your loved ones ripped away. Assuming he has any, that is." Buffy turned away from the graves and started to head out, but her friends stopped her once again.

Sure, she could have hurt them to make them move, but her fight wasn't with them.

"Move," she said menacingly.

That didn't mean she had to be nice.

"Buffy, I realize that you're upset..." Giles started to say, but was cut off by Buffy's outburst.

"Upset? Upset? Why would I be upset? It's not like I actually lost anything, right? I mean, I haven't seen my family in ten years, no, sixteen years, and I've been looking forward to seeing them again, ever since I got my memories back, which were taken from me in the first place. And now I found out that all my hope and joy at seeing them again was in vain, because they're not even here anymore. I'm never gonna see them again. But I'm not upset. Why would I be upset?" Buffy finished sarcastically.

"I just meant that this must be a terrible tragedy to you, and I can't even imagine the pain you're going through," Giles said sincerely. "But you must not act rashly. I know you're used to killing the monster that hurts you, but this time you can't."

"Watch me," Buffy said. She tried to push her way through, fairly gently of course, but Xander grabbed her by the shoulders and held her still.

"Breathe, Buffy," he told her gently. "Take a second, take a deep breath in and think about what you're saying." When Buffy didn't say anything he continued. "You're talking about killing a person, possibly several persons. A human being. This is something you've fought against your entire life."

"Revenge isn't as sweet as you might think," Willow said. "Trust me, I know. It eats you up inside and it tears you apart. You'll just fall into the darkness, and you want it to take you because it's easier than fighting. You think it might get rid of the pain, you think it'll help, but it doesn't. The pain never goes away and revenge will only make it worse. I know you. You can't take a human life. It would destroy you."

"You really don't want to do this Buffy," Xander said.

"Yes I do," Buffy said quietly, startling everyone, including herself. She was amazed at how much hate, anger, and pain she had stored up inside her over the years. "I've suffered so much, it's time for someone else for a change."

"It's not your place to deal out justice," Giles said, looking at his Slayer strangely.

"Somebody's got to do it." Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"Where's the Buffy I know and love?"" Xander said. "She would never even think about doing this, let alone seriously talk about it."

"She's dead," Buffy said bluntly. "She died a long time ago. It's just taken you this long to figure it out." Buffy finally pushed past her friends, who were too stunned to stop her.

"You can't do this Buffy!" Willow finally yelled after her. "Look what happened to me! It'll kill you!"

Buffy whirled around angrily. "You don't get it do you?" Buffy said, unknowingly repeating the words Faith once said to her. "I don't care!" she yelled. She waited a second and then, much quieter, she repeated, "I don't care."

In that moment, Giles thought he had truly lost her, but he wasn't about to give up. Not now. Not ever. He still had to play his trump card.

Buffy turned around again and had started to walk off slowly. The difference between her and Faith was that Faith had said those words with a smile. Buffy, on the other hand, was driven by her emotions; in the end she really did care.

"What about your niece or nephew?" Giles yelled at her back.

She stopped, but she didn't turn around.

"Whoever it is doesn't seem to have much family left either," Giles said, trying to play on her family loyalty. She had never done anything to hurt, harm or abandon her family.

He just hoped she wouldn't start now.

"You're an Aunt now Buffy," Willow said, catching on to Giles' train of thought. "I'm sure your brother's child would be delighted to know about you."

"Who wouldn't?" Xander asked with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"And then there's Sirius and Remus," Willow added. "I didn't see their graves anywhere."

Buffy still hadn't moved an inch.

"You might not know it, Buffy, but you need them. Just like they need you," Giles said.

"We need you," Willow added quietly. Buffy turned around.

"I'm tired of being needed," she said quietly, defeated, her voice reflecting all her emotions. "I'm tired of being strong."

"If being strong means fighting the good fight and not giving in to the evil, that you don't go crazy and hell-bent on revenge, that you stay sane and away from the dark side, then yes, you have to be strong." Willow said, stepping closer to her friend.

"But besides that, we don't need you to be strong all the time," Xander said. "We don't want you to be. We don't need you to hold all of us up."

"That's how everyone falls," Anya said, surprisingly adding some insightful comments. "It's like a house of cards. If you pile them all on top of one card, it's going to topple. But if you lean them all against each other, then it will stay strong." At everyone's looks she said, "I'm over a thousand years old; I get bored."

"We just want you to be Buffy," Willow said.

"The Buffy that always laughed at my jokes, no matter how corny they were."

"The Buffy who came over to my house to study, but all we did was gossip about boys and our prospective lives."

"The Buffy who did what she wanted, ignoring all rules and guidelines I set down."

"The Buffy that cracked a smile every once and a while."

"The Buffy that insisted on having a life outside of slaying."

"The Buffy who fought with everything she had to get what she wanted."

"The Buffy who'd never take no for an answer."

"Who'd never give up."

"Who beat up Willy the Snitch." Everyone looked at Anya again.

Buffy, who had tears in her eyes, gave a small half-laugh, half-sob.

"We want the Buffy who wanted to live, who thought life was a precious gift," Giles said.

"Carpe Diem," Willow whispered quietly, stepping even closer to her friend.

"We want the Buffy that had fun every now and then; the one who'd party after we saved the world," Xander said.

"I miss that Buffy," Willow said, right in front of the blonde.

"I miss her too," Buffy said, her anger mostly melting away, as tears poured down her face and more sobs emerged.

Her best friend held her once again as she cried. But these were different tears. She was crying for the person she once was, and now longed desperately to be. She could never be the same person, she had seen too much and grown up too fast, but she could try and be happy again.

She could try.

At that moment, her phoenix appeared out of nowhere and landed on a headstone nearby. Seeing her owner in such a distraught state, the phoenix opened her mouth and began to sing a beautiful song, warming their hearts and souls.

Buffy's tears stopped as the notes rang in her ears- how could she be so sad or angry with that music playing? It eased all her fears and worries and made her feel calm.

And happy.

"Okay, no more mopey Buffy," Buffy said, drying her eyes once the music stopped.

"I love that bird!" Xander exclaimed. The phoenix gave a happy trill and flew over to his shoulder. Xander rubbed the bird's brilliant red feathers and said, "You can sing to me anytime you want."

"Are you okay, Buffy?" Willow asked her friend.

"I think I will be. It still hurts, but I think I'll be okay," Buffy said.

"Just promise me that you'll come and talk to me, or anybody really, when you need to, okay? No more bottling it up inside."

"I heard it's bad for your chi," Xander interrupted.

"And what do you know about chi?" Giles asked Xander.

"Promise?" Willow asked, directing Buffy's attention away from the bickering men, and back to their previous conversation.

"I promise," Buffy said with a small, tired smile. "Like we used to."

"Right," Willow said. "That's what best friends do. They come to each other when they need help. I guess we've all been pretty bad about that lately, but it's all gonna change."

"Yep," Buffy said with a nod.

"And no more revenge plots?" Willow asked carefully.

"Willow," Xander said, wrapping his arm over Willow's shoulders. "We don't want her to kill anyone, but that doesn't rule out revenge. I mean you gotta get your kicks somewhere right? And I hear that Buffy used to be one bad-assed prankster. Like the old saying goes... 'there's more than one way to skin a cat.'"

"I thought it was kill a cat," Anya said.

"Well, whatever it is, you get my point. I'm sure Buffy can come up with some non-lethal way to have some fun, right Buffy?" Xander asked with a wink.

"I'm sure I can think of something," Buffy said, ideas running through her head. "And when I'm done, he's gonna wish he had never even heard of the Potters."

"What do you say we get out of here?" Xander asked.

"Sure," Buffy said. "I just want to say goodbye," she finished quietly, looking at the graves.

She walked slowly past her friends who looked at her sadly. They watched as she approached the graves and crouched down in a squat. They turned away to give her some privacy.

As they did, they saw a figure walking through the darkness of the cemetery.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Willow said suddenly. "This is a wizard's cemetery, right? Maybe that person knows what happened to the Potters! I mean, it must be fairly big news if the whole Potter family died. And then he can tell us where James's child is!"

"And what if, when we call that mysterious person over here, he pulls out a bunch of fangs and eats us all for supper?" Anya asked.

"Oh come on. It's five against one. And we have a you know what," Willow said, not wanting to say the word Slayer if the person really was a vampire.

"Fine," Anya said. "But if he pulls out some weird mojo, and kills us all, I'm blaming you."

With that, they walked over to the man, who seemed to be heading their way. Upon closer inspection, they could tell he was wearing dark black robes, and had short brown hair. He didn't look too old, and he looked kind of cute, with his bright blue eyes. "What are you guys doing in the cemetery at this time of night?" the man asked once they got closer.

"My friend was just visiting some... friends," Willow said, not wanting to mention that she was related to the Potters. She was supposed to be dead.

"We were wondering if you knew anything about the Potters," Xander said, getting straight to the point.

A quick look of anger passed over the man's face but then it was replaced with a surprised look. "The Potters? What do you want with them?"

"We just want to know how they died. All of them," Willow said.

"You don't know? I thought everyone knew."

"Well, we've been away, in America, for some time now. News doesn't travel that quickly."

"Okay. Where should I start?"

"How about with B.. Elizabeth," Giles suggested.

"Ah, yes. Elizabeth. I haven't heard her name in quiet a while. It seemed like after her death, everyone forgot about her. Except the Potters that is. Their house was attacked, on her birthday if I remember correctly. She was taken by the death eaters and then some Auror found her dead somewhere near her house."

While he was talking, Buffy had walked up behind them. She saw her friends walking over to the man, and wondered what was going on. Now she stood quietly, listening intently. She would find out what had happened.

"Needless to say, the Potters didn't take it too well. The father wanted revenge, and spent all his time looking for death eaters, trying to kill them all. I guess he figured he could make it up to his daughter by making sure no one else got killed. One day, around a year after she died, he got into a sticky situation. He stumbled upon a meeting, and didn't have any backup. He lasted longer than most, but he didn't survive. He did take out several death eaters with him; that man was known for his duelling skills. He got better after her death.

"With her husband gone, her eldest son out of school and entering into the auror academy, and her daughter dead, the mother eventually wasted away with grief. She didn't want to lose her son too, but he was determined to be an auror, as were his friends. I think they all wanted to be aurors mainly because of Elizabeth's death.

"Anyway, eventually Lily and James got married, and then they had a son. Harry," the man spit out the name with disgust, which left the people listening raptly to wonder. "It was well known that the Dark Lord was after the Potters, though not too many people knew why; although, they were a royal pain in the ass for him. So, the Potters went into hiding using the Secret Keeper spell. Only the Secret Keeper could divulge the information of their whereabouts. They knew there was a spy within their circle of friends, but they didn't know which one it was. Unfortunately," the man said with a small smirk, "they trusted the wrong friend and made his Secret Keeper.

"The man betrayed them to the Dark Lord who came to the Potters house on Halloween and killed James and Lily." The man's smile faded off his face. "Amazingly enough, when the Dark Lord tried to kill young Harry, who was only a year old, the spell rebounded off of the child and hit him. Harry became the Boy-Who-Lived, the savoir of the wizarding world, and the Dark Lord became naught but a bad memory.

"But, I'll tell you a little secret," the man said with a whisper. "The Dark Lord has risen again, and will soon take over, killing all the mudbloods and muggles until there are only his servants left."

"Who was the spy?" Buffy asked, thinking it was Peter. She felt so much hatred well up inside her at the thought of that little rat betraying her family. She never liked him, and it seemed she was right in her judgments. If only James had listened to her...

"Sirius Black."

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CHAPTER 9: ROUND AND ROUND

Buffy blinked as her mind attempted to process what he had said.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Buffy said, unsure if she had heard him correctly.

"Sirius Black betrayed the Potters," the man repeated.

"No, you must be mistaken," Buffy said. "Sirius would never betray James. They were best friends. They were basically brothers."

"And that's the best part," the man said. "The Potters thought that they were safe by using Black, but he turned them over to the Dark Lord just like that." The man gave a little snap of his fingers to emphasize his point. "They never saw it coming."

"No," Buffy denied more forcefully. "Peter was the rat in the group. If anyone had betrayed James, it would have been him. Sirius would never do that."

"A lot of people found it hard to believe, until the incident with Peter."

"What happened with Peter?" Buffy asked with narrowed eyes.

"Peter went after Sirius, and accused him of murdering Lily and James. He was right upset about their deaths. Peter never had a chance, as Black cornered him and blew him up on a street full of muggles. Thirteen people killed with a single curse. His finger was the biggest piece of him they could find."

The others were standing around shocked. They knew how Buffy felt about Sirius, she had told them everything she could. Now it seemed that once again, life decided to kick her while she was down.

But Buffy just wouldn't accept it.

"There is no way that Sirius could do those things. He's not that kind of person. He wouldn't do that," she ranted.

"You knew him years ago Buffy, lots of things could have changed," Willow said gently.

"Yeah, he could become a raving psycho who decided to switch sides," Anya said. "I mean, look what happened to Willow."

"You don't understand. He hated his family and they were all dark wizards. He would never do those things."

"No one else seemed to think so highly of him. Fudge sent him to Azkaban without trial."

"He did what?" Buffy asked, her tone deadly. She paled slightly at the mention of the horrible wizarding prison.

"How many years did he spend there? Around twelve, I think," the man supplied, thinking back. "Then he escaped. First prisoner ever to do it. He went after little Harry Potter at Hogwarts. Tried to kill him, but didn't succeed," the man said with a scowl. "That kid has more lives..."

"So is he dead?" Buffy asked with wide eyes.

"No. He escaped somehow. He's good at getting himself out of scrapes."

"Why would he want to kill Harry?"

"I realize you're blonde," the man said nastily, "but think about it will you? The man spent several years as a spy for the Dark Lord. He finally chose to show his true colours only to have the little runt defeat his master. I think he'd want revenge, don't you?"

"No. I don't," Buffy said, glaring at the man with cold eyes. "Sirius Black would never betray James Potter."

"You're the one who asked," the man said with a snarl.

"I wanted the truth," Buffy said.

"Well, the truth hurts, baby," he said. "If you can't handle it..."

The man didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. Buffy stepped foreword, grabbed a handful of his robes, and shoved him up a tree.

"Buffy, no!" Her friends barely had time to protest her sudden and rash actions.

"Handle this," she said, shoving a stake through his heart, oblivious to the cries around her.

His face showed his surprise at the sudden turn of events, and he didn't get another word in before he crumbled to dust.

Buffy dusted her hands and turned away from the tree where the man had once stood. She faced her friends who were astonished at her actions. "What?"

"That was a vampire?" Willow asked with surprise.

"Yeah, you didn't know that?" Buffy asked, shocked.

"No."

"We thought you had gone off your rocker and killed the innocent man," Anya said.

"Thanks so much for your confidence," Buffy said dryly. "It is night, and we're standing in a cemetery," she reminded them. At their abashed looks, she continued, "And how long have you been fighting evil now? This is why I don't take you on my patrols," Buffy finished with a slightly teasing tone.

"I didn't think vampires came with robes," Xander said.

"Because you're so used to seeing them with large white signs on their chests saying 'I'm a vamp, come slay me," Buffy joked.

"I think I've seen that on a t-shirt once," Willow said kidded.

"The kids these days," Xander said in a mock disapproving tone.

"Yes, well, I do believe we have other matters to attend to," Giles said, interrupting their playful banter. Buffy's slightly good mood vanished in an instant as she thought about what she had just learned.

"Sirius didn't do it," Buffy said defensively, since everyone was looking at her with pity.

"People change, Buffy," Willow reminded her gently. "It's been over a decade since you saw him last."

"He didn't do it," Buffy said adamantly. "There's something wrong with this story. I would've bet my life that Peter was the rat. Besides being an actual rat..." Buffy trailed off, frowning.

"Okay, say that Sirius is innocent. How are you going to prove it?" Xander said. "There were witnesses that say he killed thirteen people."

"You have the worst luck with men," Anya said.

"Tell me about it," Buffy said quietly. She began pacing, trying to get her thoughts in order. "I just need to think. I can do this."

"We've always wondered about that," Xander joked, and then shut up with the glare he received from the Slayer.

Giles was actually happy to have a new problem to deal with, because that meant it kept Buffy's mind off other things. Whenever she was faced with a problem, she wouldn't give up until it was solved, and that meant she did not have time to reflect on her life and how crappy it is.

"Well, why don't we start at the beginning?" Willow said, wanting her friend to be right. "Voldemort was after the Potters, so they went into hiding."

"Right. They used a spell to hide their whereabouts. Only the Secret Keeper would know where they were hidden. The only way anyone else would be able to find them would be if the Secret Keeper told."

"They knew that someone in their inner circle was a traitor," Xander said, "so they had to be careful about who they chose."

"And James chose Sirius to be the Secret Keeper?" Willow asked.

"Of course. It would be the obvious choice. They grew up together, there was no way that he would be the traitor. They were like brothers."

Willow's eyes widened at Buffy's phrasing. "The obvious choice."

"Exactly," Buffy said with a nod, still pacing.

"No, I mean, the obvious choice!" Willow repeated, getting excited.

Buffy finally caught on to what her friend was trying to say. "Of course!" she exclaimed in excitement. "It would be the obvious choice to choose Sirius! He would be captured, and possibly tortured, and then they would make him tell!"

"Unless he didn't know it!" Willow said.

"They must have told everyone that they were going to use Sirius, but then they really used someone else."

"But all those people saw Sirius kill thirteen people," Xander said, not wanting Buffy to get her hopes up.

Buffy and Willow got quiet again as they thought once again about what could have happened.

"The vampire said that Peter went after Sirius, and accused him of killing James and Lily in front of several witnesses, correct?" Giles asked thoughtfully.

"That doesn't make sense," Buffy said with a frown. "Peter was to much of a wimp to actively go against someone, especially Sirius. Peter's not much of a dueller. He had to know he was going to lose."

"You do crazy things for revenge," Willow said sadly.

"Well, if Sirius wasn't the Secret Keeper, who was?" Giles asked.

"I would have chosen Remus," Buffy said. "But I doubt that he would be the traitor either. They had to have picked Peter."

"If they did pick Peter, why would he go after Sirius?" Xander asked. He could practically see the wheels in the blonde's head turning.

"If Sirius wasn't the Secret Keeper, he would have known it wasn't him, therefore, it could only be Peter or Remus," Buffy said slowly. "Peter must have known Sirius would know it was him, therefore, he went after Sirius and accused him in front of witnesses! Everyone thought he did it anyway, and so Peter was confirming the belief, and making sure his name was clear!" Buffy finished quickly.

"Therefore?" Xander asked. "You used therefore? This isn't English class!"

"Sorry, it just slipped out," Buffy said sheepishly.

"But Peter's dead," Giles said, steering the conversation back on topic. "Sirius must have killed him, because he knew Peter betrayed them."

"Maybe," Buffy said slowly. "Sirius does have a bad temper. But I don't think he would kill innocent people. And I doubt that he would kill Peter in front of so many people. Especially muggles. He might be rash, but he's not stupid. He might as well have walked up to the Dementors themselves and said 'kiss me'."

"Kiss me?" Anya asked confused. "Why would he say that?"

"Dementors are these creepy demon type thingies . . ."

"Thingies, much better word," Xander interrupted.

"When they're around, all your happiness gets sucked away and you're left reliving your worst memories. A kiss is when they suck your soul out of your mouth. You can still live, but not really," Buffy explained. "Although you don't become evil, like vampires."

"I would assume that's because when you're a vampire, you have a demon inhabiting your body," Giles suggested.

"That sucks," Anya said.

"In more ways than one," Xander joked.

"Maybe Peter killed himself and the other people, thinking that Sirius would get all the blame," Willow suggested suddenly.

"Magic is not always easy to track," Anya said. "It would be fairly simple to trick people into believing that someone else cast a spell."

"I don't see why Peter would kill himself, though," Buffy said thoughtfully.

"Maybe he couldn't stand the guilt?" Xander suggested.

"Maybe he didn't really die," Buffy said, her eyes lighting up. "He could have faked his death!"

"I suppose it's possible," Giles said reluctantly.

"What do you mean, possible?" Buffy asked. "It happened to me! And I came back from the dead! Twice!"

"But they found a finger," Giles said.

"It's not that hard to cut off a finger, Giles," Buffy said, rolling her eyes.

"Now that doesn't make much sense," Anya said. "I've killed lots of people, and in many different ways. I've even blown a few of them up, but I've never only been left with a finger. If there was a finger then there must have been something else too, or if there was nothing else, there wouldn't be a finger. It doesn't add up."

Buffy shot a look at Xander, daring him to comment. He didn't.

"So, he cut off his finger and used it as evidence of his own death, which he faked, and killed a street full of people, and somehow made it all seem like Sirius did it, even in front of witnesses," Willow said.

"That seems a little far-fetched," Giles said.

"Giles, please. We lived on a Hellmouth for many years, and we've seen things way worse, and much stranger, than this. Why are you so reluctant to believe that Sirius is innocent?" Buffy asked.

"The truth is, I don't want you to get your hopes up. It is possible that Sirius was the traitor, and if that is the case, you would be devastated."

"You're right," Buffy said. "But he's not. Peter was the traitor, I know it."

"What about Remus?" Giles asked. "How come he didn't defend Sirius at all? I'm sure that if they really were best friends, Remus wouldn't let Sirius go to prison for something Peter did."

"I don't know," Buffy said truthfully. "I don't even understand why they made Peter the Secret Keeper."

"Unless they thought Remus was the traitor!" Willow said in a moment of insight.  
"What?" Buffy asked, confused.

"Well, if they thought Remus was the traitor, they would have told him that Sirius was the Secret Keeper, and then actually made Peter it. Then, when Peter turned out to be the traitor, Remus thought that it was Sirius who was the traitor," Willow said, excited about her theory.

"That makes sense, but why would they think he's the traitor?"

"He's a werewolf, right?" Anya asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Willow asked, defending her first love against the ex-demon who never really got to know him.

"It's just, werewolves are considered to be dark creatures. If they knew someone in their inner circle was a traitor, they would probably think it would be the dark creature, who decided to join forces with the dark wizard," Anya said.

"Poor Remus," Buffy said quietly.

"Wait a minute," Xander said. "The vampire said that Sirius escaped from Azkaban, and that he went after Harry. Why would he want to kill Harry if he wasn't the traitor?"

"I don't know," Buffy said with a frown. "Maybe he didn't really want to kill him. It could have been a big misunderstanding."

"Apparently, as he's still considered to be a murderer," Anya said.

"How are we going to prove that Sirius is innocent? Everyone thinks he's guilty," Willow said.

"Well, we're going to have to find him. And Peter," Buffy added with a scowl. "And Remus. We're gonna need his help."

"That might take some time. If you had something of theirs, I could do a locator spell, but they could be anywhere," Willow said. "I guess Remus would be easy enough to find, but maybe not."

"Right. He's a werewolf, and everyone probably knows. He might not even be around here anymore," Buffy said.

"Assuming he's alive still," Giles interrupted softly. As everyone turned their questioning gazes on Giles, he explained. "Werewolves don't have the longest life spans. Changing forms is painful and it takes its toll on one's body. It would take great mental strength and personal stamina to continue on after so many years. It is extremely exhausting."

"How come you never told us this before?" Willow asked, upset for Oz. She might not be with him at the moment, and probably won't ever see him again, but he was her first love, and a part of her heart still belonged to him.

"I didn't want to worry you," Giles said. "I told Oz everything I knew. If he didn't feel the need to tell you, then I suppose he didn't want to worry you either."

"Well, I can hope that Remus is still alive," Buffy said. "He never was one to give up." Everyone was quiet for a moment, until Willow broke the uncomfortable silence.

"So, you have a nephew. And his name is Harry," Willow said, trying to turn the subject to happier areas.

"Apparently. And he goes to Hogwarts," Buffy said. "At least now I know where to find him, not that it would have been too hard. I mean, what are the chances that he didn't go to Hogwarts?"

"So do you want to go see him?" Willow asked.

Buffy thought about it for a minute. On the one had, she really wanted to see her nephew. He was her only family left. She guessed he would probably be ecstatic to see her as well, but that would mean telling him who she was, and she didn't want to expose herself yet.

"No, not yet," Buffy said, much to the surprise of the Scoobies. "There's somewhere else I want to go first."

"Where's that?" Willow asked curiously.

"The Ministry of Magic," Buffy said. "It could be a useful trip for several reasons. One, I can find Fudge. Two, I can possibly find out where Remus lives. Three, I can hurt Fudge. Four, I can find out all I can about Sirius, seeing as how he's a wanted escaped criminal. Five, I can possible use Fudge in some way to better my own situation and destroy his. Six, I can get up to date with all the happenings with Voldemort. And seven, I can do something else to Fudge."

"Sounds good to me," Xander said, clasping his hands, and rubbing them together. "So where is this Ministry of Magic?"

"I guess we can floo there," Buffy said. "I'm not sure how to get there the muggle way, but I do remember there are floo ports. I used to go to work with my parents when I was younger."

"Floo?" Willow asked.

"Bless you." Xander said.

"It's a wizarding way of travel. You're just gonna have to trust me," Buffy said with a small smirk. "First, we're going to need to get back to the Leaky Cauldron. We can use it's floo port."

"How are we going to get back there?" Anya asked. "The cab left a long time ago, and it's not like we're anywhere near, well, anything."

Buffy looked around herself thinking. The Phoenix, long since gone from Xander's shoulder, gave a little trill. Startled, Buffy turned to look at the headstone where she stood. "I guess we can catch a ride from her," Buffy suggested. "I really need a name for you," she told the bright red fire bird. "Have any suggestions?"

The phoenix shook her head, but she flew off the headstone and hovered in the air above their heads, offering them all her tail feathers.

"You're going to have to take us to a dark alley," Buffy said. "I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to be seen just yet." The bird gave a little trill in understanding.

"Anya, you're probably going to want to let your owl go. She'll find you once we're settled. You don't want her to go through all this travelling, and it's not very discrete."

Anya reluctantly opened the cage and let her snowy owl fly out, after much grumbling. It stretched its wings gratefully, then flew off to find something to eat. "Make sure you come back!" Anya called after it, already attached to her pet.

Buffy then took out her wand and thought for a minute before finally coming up with the right spell. She took a deep breath and muttered the incantation, watching as she shrunk the cage and all the packages they were carrying. "Yay, I can still do magic!" she said relieved.

"You couldn't have done that before?" Xander grumbled.

Buffy just shrugged and grabbed on to a red tail feather; everyone else did the same. "Okay," Buffy said, and they disappeared from the cemetery with a small pop.

They reappeared moments later in an alley beside the Leaky Cauldron. No one had noticed their sudden appearance. "Thanks," Buffy said quietly to the bird. She rubbed her hand down the feathery head and neck and the bird happily leaned into her touch, before disappearing again.

"That was cool," Xander said. "No need to drive when you can just pop up anywhere you want to."

"Most wizards can apparate, which is pretty much what we just did, only you have to do it by yourself," Buffy said. "Although you have to get a license because you might do it incorrectly and end up splinched."

"Say what?" Xander asked.

"Being splinched is when half of your body gets stuck where you started, and the other half where you wanted to go. And it doesn't even have to be half of you. It could just be an arm, or a leg. Or an arm and a leg. Or you could accidentally land on top of someone and kind of melt into each other..."

"That's enough of those scary mental pictures," Xander interrupted her ramble.

"Sorry," Buffy said. "But I'm fairly certain that can't happen when she carries us," Buffy said, referring to her phoenix.

"So what are the side effects of floo travel?" Willow asked.

"Don't tell me, I don't want to know," Xander said.

"I don't really think there are any," Buffy said, thinking. "I think the worst thing that could happen is that you come out the wrong gate. Or, you could wait too long and catch on fire."

"Fire? Why is there fire?" Xander asked.

"Floo travel is travelling by fireplace," Buffy explained. "You take floo powder, a magical substance, and throw it into a fire, making the flames turn green and tickly, not red and burny. Then you step into the now green, safe fire, and say the name of the place you want to go. It's really safe."

"You want us to step into fire?" Willow asked.

"Yes."

"You're asking a lot out of us, you know that right?" Xander said.

"Yes."

"Just so we're clear," Xander said with a nod.

They all walked into The Leaky Cauldron and walked quickly through the now packed pub. It was a Friday night, after all. The five made their way over to the fireplace used for floo travel. It was less crowded over here, as there needed to be room for people to be coming and going.

Buffy took the floo powder from the little jar on the mantle and showed her friends what to do. "Just do what I do, okay?" Buffy said. At their nods she continued. She took a pinch of the powder, threw it in the fireplace, and watched as the flames turned green.

Quickly, she stepped into the flames and clearly said her destination.

"The Ministry of Magic."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 10: THE MINISTRY

Willow, Giles, Anya, and Xander all stood by the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron, shocked by what they had just witnessed.

"Okay, tell me that wasn't freaky," Xander said, the image of Buffy being enveloped by flames, burned into his memory.

"That's much too reminiscent of that time our parents tried to burn us at the stake," Willow said with wide eyes.

"Well, who's next?" Anya said cheerfully. "Xander? You're the brave, strong man here, I think you need to go." Anya patted his arm and pushed him towards the fireplace, much to his dismay.

"What about me?" Giles asked indignantly.

"You're old and weak," Anya said bluntly.

"I beg your pardon?" Giles said, whipping off his glasses and pointing them at the sandy blonde. "I'll have you know that I am in just as good of shape as I was ten, twenty years ago. Not that traveling by this floo method has anything to do with shape or age."

"You tell her Giles," Xander said. "Even better, you should show her. March right up to that fireplace and give it a whirl." Willow nodded her head emphatically in agreement.

"You're bloody right I will," Giles said, replacing his glasses and marching up to the fireplace. He took a pinch of the floo powder before he realized that he'd been tricked. "Oh bugger..."

"Go on, Giles," Willow encouraged.

Giles sighed and threw the powder into the fire, knowing he had no choice. He watched the flames turn green before he took a deep breath and stepped into the smoky area. "The Ministry of Magic!" he yelled, and then, like Buffy, was gone in a surge of flames.

Xander turned to Willow expectantly.

"Don't look at me!" she squeaked, and he stepped up to take his turn.

Back at the Ministry of Magic, Buffy waited, rather impatiently, for her friends to arrive. Surprisingly enough, Giles was the first one to land in a heap at her feet.

"Fun trip?" Buffy asked, helping him to his feet.

"Delightful," Giles said sarcastically, fixing the glasses that had rearranged themselves and dusting the soot off his robes.

Soon enough, Xander, Willow and Anya arrived through the fireplace, all coughing, grumbling, covered with soot, and sprawled on the floor.

"You get used to it," Buffy said, looking at her scowling friends. "The first time's always a bit weird."

"You mean we have to do that again?" Willow exclaimed.

"How else are we going to get out of here?" Buffy asked her.

"This day just keeps getting better and better," Xander grumbled, unaware of how Buffy's eyes clouded over briefly.

She tried to push all her pain to the side. She had to be strong. She had things to do; Sirius was depending on her, and she wouldn't, couldn't, let him down. There would be time later to grieve. For now, she had an escaped convict to save.

"Come on," Buffy said, leading the group down a very long hall with a highly polished dark wooden floor and peacock-blue ceiling.

Everyone was entranced by the place, including Buffy, who hadn't been here for over a decade and barely remembered it. Golden symbols continually moved and changed along the ceiling, and the walls were panelled with a dark, shiny wood with several gilded fireplaces protruding slightly. The arrivals came from the left wall while the wizards departing left on the right wall. The corridor wasn't very crowded because the workday had yet to be over. Amazingly enough, it wasn't even six yet.

Half-way down the hall sat a fountain with larger than life golden statues sitting in the middle of the circular pool. The wizard, as the tallest figure, stood with his wand pointed straight up. A witch, centaur, goblin and house-elf surrounded the wizard, while the magical creatures looked up adoringly at the wizard and witch. Jets of water were flying from the two wands, the tip of the centaur's arrow, the point of the goblin's hat, and from each of the pointed ears of the house-elf. The water sparkled slightly in the light, producing an enchanting scene, as the water pattered gently back into the water.

There were golden gates at the far end of the hall, which the gang steadily walked toward. Behind a desk on the left sat a bored-looking, badly shaven wizard in peacock-blue robes. When Buffy and the rest tried to pass through the gates, he stood up and walked out of the little hut.

"Excuse me," the guard said, indicating the blonde at the head of the group. "All visitors must check in here," he said, pointing to the hut and a sign that read "SECURITY."

"Oh, sorry. My mistake," Buffy said, trying to be apologetic. She had wanted to go unnoticed, but she should have known it would have been useless. She walked over to the small hut while the guard entered the building and sat heavily in his chair.

"Wand?" he asked tiredly.

Buffy hesitated a moment before handing over her most valued piece of wood. Mr. Pointy came in a very close second.

The guard dropped it onto a strange brass instrument, resembling a set of scales with only one dish. Much to everyone's surprise, except the guard's, the wand begins to vibrate. A narrow slip of parchment came speeding out of a slit in the base. The guard tore it off and read the writing on it.

"Ten inches, phoenix-feather core. Been in use for half an hour?" The man asked, surprised at what the little paper said. The wand had been dormant for over a decade and the last spell, which coincidentally also counted as the first spell, Buffy performed was less than an hour ago.

"Yeah," Buffy said. "I broke my last wand, sat on it by accident. Cause a whole lot of trouble, I must say," she said, rubbing her butt. "I just went down to Olivander's to get a new one." Buffy didn't want to give away the real reason her wand hadn't been active in over a decade.

The man handed her wand over to Buffy, who gratefully took it from him. He chuckled slightly at Buffy's statement and said, "Don't ever let Moody hear you say that. He's always ranting and raving when somebody places their wand in their back pocket."

"Moody?" Buffy asked sharply, surprised at the name. "Alastor Moody?"

"Is there any other?"

"Is he here?" Buffy asked, wondering if he would be able to find the person who saved her life, and tore her away from her family.

"Nope. He's been retired for a while now," the guard said, looking at Buffy a little suspiciously.

"Of course," Buffy said, noticing the change in the guard's features. "The way you talked sounded like he was here today. Visiting or something. It sure would be nice to see Alastor again. It's been a long time since I've seen him last."

"Well, I'd give you his address if I had it, but he doesn't make it well known. He's too paranoid," the guard said sadly, with a shake of his head.

"Right, well, thanks anyway," Buffy said, confused as to why he'd be paranoid.

"Whoa! What about the others?" the guard asked, before Buffy could walk too far away.

"We don't have wands," Willow said. "We left them at home."

"You left your wands at home?" the guard asked, once again getting suspicious.

"She means that they've lost a bet," Buffy covered quickly. "And now they have to live as muggles for a week. It's only day three, so we try not to talk about it much," Buffy said in a mock whisper. "It's a lot harder than anyone would think."

The guard nodded in understanding. He didn't know what he'd do without his wand for a week. It'd be awful. "Well, good luck with that," the guard said. "It must take some willpower. I guess if you've grown up as a muggle, it shouldn't be too hard, but I've lived around magic my whole life. I don't know if I'd be able to make it."

"Yes, it's terrible," Giles said, unconvincingly with a shake of his head. "I have no idea how I'll live four more days."

"Well, we'd better get going. We have a meeting with the Minister. Don't want to be late for that," Buffy said.

"No, you sure don't," the guard said. "Let me get you some passes. Names?" As the group looked at each other nervously, the guard slid the piece of parchment with Buffy's wand information on a small brass spike.

Buffy stepped forward and gave the guard her best smile. "So this is what you do all day? It must be dull, handing out passes and checking wands..."

"Yeah, but it's work," the man said, looking up to stare into Buffy's sparkling green eyes. His throat went dry suddenly as he realized just how beautiful she was, with her golden hair flowing down her back. "Ummm..." he trailed off, and cleared his throat.

Buffy looked into the man's brown eyes and said softly, "We don't need passes."

To the other Scoobies amazement, the guard seemed to fall into some kind of trance. "You don't need passes," he repeated.

"And I'd really like that paper," Buffy said, smiling as he reached out and extracted her wand information from the small stack on the spike.

"Here you go," the brown haired man said, handing over the slip of parchment.

"Thanks," Buffy said. "And just forget that you ever saw us, okay?"

"Never saw you."

Buffy turned around and noticed her friends' shocked expressions. She nodded them forward, away from the guard, who continued to look after Buffy, dazed.

Once they were through the gates, and into a smaller hall beyond, Buffy finally asked, "What?"

"Did you just use magic on him?" Willow asked. "I didn't even see you use your wand."

Buffy frowned slightly as she thought back to what she just did. "I don't think I did. I mean, I guess I could have, but I didn't do it consciously."

"Maybe you have the power of persuasion," Anya said. "I've known quite a few people that have mastered that skill. You don't even have to have a wand to use it. They always got what they wanted," Anya pouted, thinking back to earlier times.

"That sure would explain a lot," Giles said, also thinking back to earlier times, although not quite as early as Anya. "I did let you get away with quite a bit."

"Then how come I couldn't charm my way out of Snyder's office? That would have come in handy."

"I doubt it was from lack of trying," Giles said affectionately.

"I think he was immune from everything,' Willow said.

"Stupid troll," Buffy grumbled.

"So Buff has the power of persuasion," Xander said. "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Buffy said, thinking about what she could do. "I mean, there is an Imperious Curse that is a no-no in the wizarding world, but that controls other people. I'm merely persuading them, so I should be okay, right?"

"Depending on what you persuade them to do," Giles said. "Although, there is a degree of control on your part, and a loss of freedom on their part..."

"Well, I'll just have to use my power for good."

"Fighting for justice, and the sake of mankind," Xander remarked.

"That's our Buffy," Willow said with a smile.

"Speaking of which, you can't call me that anymore," she said. "I'm... Who am I again?"

There was silence for a moment, while each person was lost in his or her own thoughts. A list of names could be heard escaping the lips of various people as they scrambled to find the correct identity.

"S... S.... Sally, no, Sabrina, no, Sarah!" Buffy exclaimed. "Sarah Fox."

"Sarah, of course. Now where are we headed, Sarah?" Giles asked, indicating the many different lifts that were situated in front of them.

"Up. We're headed up," Buffy said certainly, as she stepped forward into a rather large lift. Everyone squeezed inside and Buffy looked at the buttons curiously before deciding upon one. "He's the big boss, right? So, he'd probably get his top floor."

The doors closed and the elevator began rising. A lady's soothing voice announced, "Level One: The Minister of Magic." The doors opened and the group stepped out.

They were in another hallway, this time with windows letting brilliant amounts of light in.

"I thought it was night outside," Xander said.

Buffy looked confused for a moment, "I was. It must be magic, to keep this place cheerful."

At the end of the corridor, which was painted a deep blue, sat a shiny wooden door with a brass nameplate reading "Cornelius Fudge."

Buffy walked forward and then halted in her tracks. She turned back around and looked at her friends. "Could you wait here for a moment? This is something I need to do alone."

Her friends hesitantly nodded. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do," Xander said.

"Try to behave rashly, please," Giles said.

"Just don't kill him," Anya stated bluntly. "Anything else and I don't really care. But we don't need a psycho slayer on our hands."

"I'll try to keep my temper in check," Buffy said.

"Deep breaths. Violence doesn't solve anything," Willow said. "Well, it doesn't solve everything," she corrected at Buffy's disbelieving glance.

Buffy nodded, took another deep calming breath and headed down the hallway again.

She reached the door and was about to knock when she heard voices coming from the room. With her enhanced Slayer hearing, she could hear most of the conversation.

It was about Hogwarts.

It was about Harry. Her nephew.

"The boy has a nasty temper," an old lady's voice was saying. "Had to put him in his place a few times, but he still persists in defying me."

"Well, don't let that stop you. We can't have him spreading his lies around," the voice Buffy recognized as Fudge's said.

"He is quite the liar, and he's very stubborn. It's going to take a lot to break his nasty habit."

"Do what you must," Fudge said. "Harry Potter's been in a thorn in my side for too long. Making up unbelievable tales every year, getting away with everything. It's all Dumbledore's influence, too. Don't think he's acting alone. That meddlesome old fool will ruin everything I've built up. He's using his power and Potter's influence. Something must be done."

"Potter's too clean though," the woman's croaky voice returned. "I just know he's up to something, breaking rules of some kind, but I can never catch him. And I have reason to believe that he's in contact with Black."

Buffy's heart leaped up at the mention of Sirius, wondering if Harry knew where he was.

"Don't be ridiculous," Fudge said. "The man tried to kill him two years ago, I doubt they're pen pals."

The woman cleared her throat, making a decidedly unpleasant noise in the process. "The school is decidedly unkempt," she said, changing topics. "It needs more structure, more rules."

Buffy could almost hear a smile in Fudge's next words: "Then take the appropriate measures. I'll sign any new school rules that you believe are appropriate and in the school's best interest."

"Of course. Thank you, minister."

"I'll expect an update again next week," Fudge said. "Thank you, Dolores."

Buffy could hear a small whoosh, and she assumed the woman named Dolores had flooed from his office.

So, Fudge was making changes at Hogwarts. Apparently he didn't like Dumbledore and was making Harry's life hell. A plan began to form in Buffy's mind. But first she needed more information.

It was now or never.

She raised her hand and knocked on the door. 


	4. Chapters 11 to 15

CHAPTER 11: FUDGE

Buffy waited impatiently for Fudge to answer the door. Thoughts raced around her head, as Buffy quickly examined the pros and cons of different actions. She didn't have that much time to decide.

There were so many factors, and so many consequences.

Rustling could be heard from inside, and Buffy assumed Fudge was finally coming to answer the door.

He destroyed her and her family's lives. He put Sirius in Azkaban without trial. He was purposefully making Harry's life hell.

She had to choose.

The door swung open, revealing a chubby little man that was slightly balding and getting along in his years.

Choose! Choose! Choose!

"May I help you?" Fudge asked, looking curiously at the young blonde.

Buffy made up her mind, looked at the man who had no clue who she was, and smiled. "I really hope so," Buffy said in her best 'have pity for me' voice.

"I'm sure I can fix any problems you have," Fudge said with a flirtatious smile. "Why don't you come into my office, and we'll get started?"

'Unbelievable,' Buffy thought with disgust. 'He doesn't even know my name!'

Buffy smiled gratefully and walked past him through the open doorway, trying to keep herself from touching him.

His office was amazing, although Buffy shouldn't have been surprised; he's the Minister of Magic! There was a couch and a couple of chairs surrounding a fireplace in the far right corner. A desk and some chairs were set up in the immediate area, and off to the side, Buffy could see a small drink bar. There was a hallway to her left that showed more closed doors, which Buffy had no real desire to open.

The entire area looked more like a lounging facility than an office of the Minister of Magic. The carpet was soft and dark blue under her feet. The walls were all painted a light blue, blending nicely with the carpet. Obviously, someone else had done the decorating, Buffy thought as she noticed his tacky coat and bowler hat placed upon a coat rack to her right.

"Why don't you make yourself comfortable," Fudge announced, closing the door and gesturing to the comfortable chairs near the fire. "And then we can solve this problem of yours. Drink?"

"No thanks," Buffy said, looking away before she did something stupid. She walked over and sat in one of the dark red chairs, avoiding the couch, which could fit more than one person.

Fudge pulled one of the chairs closer to her own, and Buffy subtly moved backwards. "Now, I didn't catch your name," he said, collapsing in his chair.

"I'm Sarah, Sarah Fox," Buffy said.

"Nice to meet you," Fudge said, extending his hand.

Buffy looked at it for a moment, before carefully extending her own. She knew refusing would look strange, so she just kept her emotions carefully in check as she shook his hand.

The hand of the man that had ordered her killed.

Buffy's mask dropped for a second, and a look of revulsion crossed her face, but Buffy quickly recovered before Fudge noticed.

"So, what seems to be the problem, Sarah?" he asked once Buffy took away her hand, a bit too quickly for his liking.

"This is going to sound really stupid," Buffy said, looking down at her hands, rubbing the one on the seat cushion discretely.

"Nothing you said could sound stupid," Fudge tried to assure.

"It's just... I work for you downstairs, and none of the guys take me seriously," Buffy complained.

"What department do you work for? I'll go have a word with those guys, tell them to leave you alone," Fudge said.

'Like that will work,' Buffy thought. 'This is the guy they have in charge?'

"I want a new job. They won't ever let me do anything because they think I'm a stupid blonde!" Buffy whined, careful to not to say a department, in case he decided to check later.

"Well, I'm sure I can look and see what's available," Fudge said.

"I don't want a job here! Everyone's the same!" Buffy said. "I want to start somewhere new where no one will know me. Then I can show them all that I'm better than them."

"My secretary just quit, so why don't you come work for me? I have Weatherby at the moment, but he can be promoted again, I guess. I won't treat you like a dumb blonde, and I'll make sure you're quite comfortable."

'You have got to be kidding me,' Buffy thought.

"No offence, because you seem like a really nice guy," Buffy said, "But I want a job where I can be in charge of someone else."

"Do you have something in mind?"

"Um..." Buffy thought, bringing her hand up to twirl a strand of her blonde hair around her finger. "I know! A school! I know I'm not qualified to be a professor, but it would be perfect! Students have to listen to me, and I'd get the respect that I'd deserve!"

Fudge cleared his throat and said, "Well, I don't think any of the schools are hiring."

Buffy's expression dropped dramatically, and she took out her secret weapon. Her pout. "Well, I read in the paper that you got Dolores a job at Hogwarts, and I thought that maybe you could give me one too . . . I mean, you are the Minister of Magic..."

"I do believe I can think of something for you," Fudge said, caving at her pout.

"Really?" Buffy said excitedly. "That's so great! I've always wanted to be the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," she confided.

Fudge almost laughed out loud at the idea that this skinny, blonde girl would be an effective DADA teacher. No one would take her seriously. It was absurd... it would infuriate everyone at the school... it was perfect...

"Miss Fox, I believe that I can get you that job," Fudge said. "You don't even need teaching experience. You'd be a natural. We have a new curriculum that we're starting, so even if you make a mistake or two, no one would notice."

Buffy squealed with delight and clapped her hands together. Then, as realization seemed to dawn on her, she said, "But what about the teacher that's already there? I don't want to put someone out of a job . . ."

Fudge thought about what he'd do with Dolores Umbridge as she was his best mole into the Hogwarts situation. "She can become... High Inquisitor of Hogwarts. They need someone like that there to make sure everyone follows the rules and such. It's a brilliant plan!"

Inside, Buffy groaned. She didn't want this Umbridge person there. It would complicate matters too much. But she didn't have much of a choice. "Thank you so much Minister!" Buffy said with a fake smile plastered on her lips. "You've made my dreams come true! When can I start?"

"Since it's Friday, you can begin on Monday if you'd like. That way you'll have the weekend to prepare. How does that sound?"

"That's brilliant!" Buffy said, standing up. "Thank you so much! I can't wait to go home and tell Charles! He'll be thrilled! He always hates it when other guys bother me. He gets so jealous sometimes," Buffy said before Fudge could get any ideas on how she could thank him.

"Of course, why don't you go home and I'll owl you all the information you'll need?"

"You're the best Minister ever!" Buffy said. "Thanks again, and have a wonderful evening." She walked out the door, ending the conversation rather abruptly, as she couldn't stand to be in the same room with him any more.

She closed the door behind her, leaving a confused Fudge behind.

She leaned against the door, closed her eyes, and let out a slow breath. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw her friends waiting for her at the end of the hall. Pushing off the door slightly, she walked towards them.

"So?" Willow asked.

"We didn't hear any crashes, so we figured you didn't kill him," Anya said bluntly.

"Nope. I didn't even hit him, thought God knows my hand was itching for it," Buffy said.

"What'd he say?" Giles asked.

"You mean when I explicitly said, 'Remember me? The girl you sent to her death so many years ago?'" Buffy said.

"You didn't tell him! Buffy," Willow chided.

"Well, a better idea came up," Buffy said. "I have a job."

"Wait, you went in there for some sort of revenge, and you came out with a job? How does that work?" Xander asked.

Buffy told them about the conversation she overheard and her idea to become a professor at Hogwarts. "Now I can see Harry without having to give away my real name."

"You're not going to tell him who you really are?" Giles asked incredulously.

"Not right away. I think playing the dumb blonde girl will make people less suspicious and more forthcoming with the information. I haven't been back in the wizarding world for some time now. I have no idea what's going on, and until I have some answers, I think it's best to remain incognito."

"Answers like, why Fudge wanted to kill you in the first place?" Xander asked.

"One of many," Buffy said. "Unfortunately, as a professor, I'll have to live at Hogwarts, and I think bringing you guys along wouldn't be very inconspicuous," Buffy hinted gently.

"Oh," Willow said, a little hurt.

"Not that I don't want you guys there, because I would love to show you the castle. It's amazing, and I'm sure you'd love it, but..."

"You can't bring us. I understand," Willow said.

"Well, what are we supposed to do, and where are we supposed to go?" Anya asked. "If you didn't notice, our homes are gone."

"I'll help you look for a wizarding flat, that way I can keep in contact with you from the floo network. I won't desert you in England."

"I'd hardly call it desertion," Giles said, "I am English you know. I lived here for quite a while, and not so long ago either."

"You know what I mean," Buffy said gently. "Anyway, we'll be in touch. Constantly. I promise. I'll need to have someone who knows who I am, or I might go crazy. Plus, I'll need your help finding Sirius and Remus; spending all my time at Hogwarts will only get me information. And you can come visit me at Hogsmeade. It's a great wizarding village near the school. You'll love it."

"Okay," Willow said.

"Will you get paid for it?" Anya said, as always concerned about money. "Because you told them you're Sarah Fox, and since Sarah Fox doesn't exist, then who'll they write the checks too? Do they even have checks? Maybe they'll pay you in cash!" Anya said, getting excited.

"I'm not sure... but I guess I'll find out," Buffy said, looking at Anya strangely.

"Yes, you should do that."

"So are we going to go get an apartment now?" Willow asked excitedly.

"Actually, no. I want to go down to the Auror headquarters and see what they have on Sirius. It could prove useful."

"That's a good idea, Buffy," Giles said.

"Sarah," Buffy corrected.

"Of course. Shall we?" Giles asked, indicating the lift. Once again, they all got into the elevator and Buffy looked at the numbers uncertainly.

"I think it's the third floor," Buffy said, pushing the button.

They rode the elevator down and the doors opened, while a female voice called out: "Level Three, Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, including the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad, Obliviator Headquarters, and Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee."

"Nope, not this one," Buffy said. "It's organized in levels of importance. I think. So, maybe it's two." She pressed that one and waited while the doors closed and the elevator rose.

"Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."

"Yep, that's us," Buffy said, happy she guessed correctly.

Buffy lead the group out of the lift and into a corridor lined with doors. They turned a corner, walked through a pair of heavy oak doors, and emerged in a cluttered, open area divided into cubicles. A lopsided sign on the nearest cubicle read AUROR HEADQUARTERS.

"Here we are," Buffy said quietly. She walked around, looking at the different cubicles and the objects that littered each desk. She didn't know exactly where she was supposed to go, but she figured she'd find it eventually.

It was getting late, so most people had already headed home; however, there were a few people still hanging around.

"May I help you?" one of the aurors asked, as he noticed the large group that didn't belong.

Buffy turned towards the voice and saw a tall, bald black man standing next to his cubicle. He looked like he was about to leave. "Yes, I was told by the Minister to come and check the progress on the search for Sirius Black," Buffy said, walking towards his cubicle.

She noticed a very slight flicker of his features; if she hadn't been looking closely, she might have missed it.

"You can tell him I've been looking, but we still can't find him. I've just got a possible sighting in South Africa that I'm going to follow up on. It's probably nothing though."

By the time he had finished his sentence, Buffy had come close enough to his cubicle to look at the hundreds of pictures of Sirius looking at her from every direction. Old newspaper clippings were taped up, and other pictures were hung around. Her heart stopped for a moment, as she looked at the man that she had grown up with.

He had changed so much; 'twelve years in Azkaban will change anybody,' Buffy thought. His eyes no longer held the laughter that she had grown so fond of. In fact, they reminded her of the eyes she saw in the mirror every day. He looked like he hadn't eaten in years, or bathed, for that matter. 'He's going to need a haircut,' Buffy thought briefly, allowing herself to focus on something other than how dead he looked.

"Obviously you've been busy," Buffy said, noticing the map with tiny red pins glowing on it. Buffy's gaze caught on a picture that looked fairly old. 'James and Lily's wedding,' Buffy thought, tears coming to her eyes. She looked longingly at the happy, smiling couple and of a much younger and handsomer Sirius laughing. She wished she could have been there. She was supposed to have been there.

"Yeah, he's giving us a run for our money," the man said. He noticed the way Buffy was transfixed by the picture, but assumed that she was like everyone else: upset over the tragic deaths of the Potters, and the apparent betrayal of Black.

"Do you have any leads?" Buffy asked, forcing her tears down and her voice to sound normal.

"We get owls everyday, about some sighting. They never pan out though," he said.

"Thanks," Buffy said, walking away. "I'll be sure to let the Minister know you're working hard."

As she walked back to her group, they looked at her questioningly. She didn't say anything until they were back in the privacy of the lift. "They all think he did it," Buffy said. "The newspapers, the aurors, the minister, they all think he did it. They have a world-wide search going."

"If they can't find him, what makes you think we can?" Anya asked.

Buffy didn't say anything, because on some level, she thought Anya might be right. "Well, I've got something they don't," Buffy finally said.

"What's that?" Willow asked, curious.

"You guys," Buffy said with a smile. "We have yet to fail at something, once we put our minds to it. I have to have hope."

"We will find him," Willow said, inspired and touched by what Buffy said.

"I know." The rest of the ride was silent, and finally they reached the atrium again. Walking out, Buffy said, "So let's go find you a flat!"

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CHAPTER 12: HOGWARTS

Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya, and Giles stood around the sixth flat they had looked at. They had spent the night at The Leaky Cauldron and gratefully got advise from Tom about where to start looking for a new flat. He was very helpful and he even called the wizarding real estate agency for them.

They had a quick breakfast before they spent the next four hours looking at flats, much to everyone's chagrin. Four hours was a little excessive, especially after only seeing six places! The walking was definitely bothering Anya the most, and she had no qualms about keeping them all informed of just how much pain she was in.

Finally, the agent brought them to a flat near the outskirts of London; it was fairly secluded, as not many houses, flats, stores, or . . . well, much of anything was around, which was ideal for them. The less people around, the better; who knew what was going to happen?

They walked into the rather large two bedroom flat, and let out a sigh of relief. It looked as if it might be the one. There was a nice kitchen with a table and chairs, a comfortable looking living room with two chairs and a sofa surrounding a fireplace, which had floo access, two bedrooms, and one and a half baths.

As they searched carefully for any signs of disrepair, Xander and Giles being more alert to the finer details, they whole-heartedly agreed that it was perfect. All the details were sorted out, papers were signed, money was exchanged, and the real estate lady gratefully went home.

After saying goodbye and closing the door, everyone collapsed in the living room. Xander and Giles plopped on the chairs while the girls fell onto the sofa, Buffy laying her head tiredly on Willow's shoulder.

"We're done!" Anya said.

"Remind me never to do that again," Buffy said, closing her eyes.

"On the bright side, the furniture is already provided," Xander said. "Now we don't have to go shopping for that."

"Yes, that is rather convenient," Giles said thankfully.

"We wouldn't have to go shopping anyway," Buffy said sleepily. "I could have just transfigured a couch or two. I think. I might have to practice at that. I didn't really finish school."

"So, what do we want to do now?" Willow asked.

"Nap," Buffy answered like a little girl.

"Sounds delightful," Giles answered.

"How do girls do it anyway?" Xander asked, amazed.

"Do what?"

"Shop? I mean, all that walking and looking, it's exhausting."

"No, this wasn't shopping. When you shop, you buy things," Buffy said.

"Lot's of things," Anya added enthusiastically.

"And what, pray tell, did we just do?" Giles asked. "We walked..."

"And looked," Xander interrupted.

"And bought a flat. Well, leased it at least."

"Shopping is fun, you buy lots of things, and come home with many many packages, full of things to unwrap and enjoy," Anya said. "We have nothing to unwrap here. It wasn't shopping."

"And it wasn't fun," Willow added.

"Yes, I do believe we all agree on that point," Giles said.

They all sat in silence for a moment, relaxing in their new flat, when a tapping came from the window.

"Morrigan!" Anya said, jumping up with renewed vigour and opening the window to let the magnificent white bird in. "You found me! That is so amazing." She petted her owl, who nipped her fingers affectionately.

"Morrigan?" Xander asked curiously.

"She has to have a name," Anya explained.

"How'd you come up with that? I would have expected something more..."

"Blunt," Buffy suggested helpfully.

"Possibly sex related and embarrassing," Xander said, shrugging his shoulders.

"For your information, Morrigan is a Celtic goddess."

"I'm afraid to ask of what," Xander said.

"If I remember correctly, she's the goddess of several things, including war and revenge," Giles said.

"Ah..." Xander said. "Is anyone surprised?"

"She's also the goddess of night, magic, and prophecy. Not to mention that she's the queen of fairies and witches. I thought it would be appropriate. What do you think?" She asked her owl, perched on her arm. She responded with a happy hoot, and Anya smiled.

"Speaking of names, what are you going to call your phoenix?" Willow asked.

Buffy frowned thoughtfully. "I have no idea, I'm not any good with names. Where is she anyw--." Buffy was interrupted by the sudden pop and appearance of her phoenix. "Never mind."

"Well, why don't you suggest something, and she'll tell you if she likes it," Anya suggested. "That's what I did with Morrigan. That way you can't go wrong."

"Okay... How about Rose?" Buffy said. "You're red, like a rose." The phoenix shook her head, upset at the suggestion.

"Why don't you try something less common?" Willow said. "I'm sure she would appreciate something unique." The phoenix trilled in agreement.

"Unique?" Buffy asked with a worried voice.

"It might help if you decided to name it after something, like a goddess. They tend to be more original," Anya said.

"You mean like Aphrodite?" The phoenix shook her head violently at the suggestion.

"Yes, but more obscure."

"I believe in Greek myth, Hestia was the goddess of fire," Giles said helpfully. The phoenix considered it, but then shook her head.

"She's also the goddess of hearth and family life," Anya said.

"How do you know so much?" Xander asked, amazed.

"I've been around for a thousand years; I've picked up things along the way. Plus, I lived back in the time when people worshipped those goddess. "

"How about Kali?" Anya asked.

"I like it," Buffy said. "It's a pretty name."

"Isn't that an Indian goddess? The one with several arms and human hands as a skirt of some kind?" Giles asked uncertainly.

"Yes," Anya said nonchalantly.

"I don't like it," Buffy said with wide eyes. The phoenix shook her head in agreement.

"Scary visuals tonight," Xander said with a shudder.

"Does it have to be a goddess? I mean, most of the goddess have really strange names anyway," Willow said. "A lot of things have meaning, like flowers. You liked rose, right? That stands for beauty. For the most part at least; when you get more specific, the meaning changes."

"You're quite right, Willow," Giles said, praising the red-head.

"Myrtle is for love," Willow suggested.

"I've heard that name before," Buffy said, thoughtfully. The phoenix shook her head, and then realization crossed Buffy's features. "Moaning Myrtle! From Hogwarts! She's a ghost that haunts one of the bathrooms; a bit of a cry-baby she is," Buffy said, her English accent becoming more pronounced.

"Right then," Giles said, after staring at her for a while.

"What about Iris? Flaming Iris means flame," Willow suggested again.

"Fennel for strength," Giles suggested.

"Isn't that in Hamlet?" Willow asked, and Giles nodded.

"What about Celsia?" Giles asked, after the previous two were denied. "It stands for immortality.

"I like that one," Buffy said, turning to her phoenix. "What do you think?"

The phoenix considered it for a moment, before trilling happily.

"Good, you are now Celsia." Another tap on the window interrupted any further conversation. "What now? We just moved in!"

Anya, still close to the window, opened it and let a great horned owl come gliding through the room. It perched on the armrest next to Buffy and dropped the large package it was carrying in her lap. Then it took flight and flew out the window.

"Wow, do you think they're faster than Fed-Ex?" Xander joked.

"What is it?" Willow asked.

"It's from Fudge," Buffy said, reading the label. "It's the package he was going to send me, with all my forms and teaching material."

Buffy opened the package and pulled out a thick Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook that said, "Professor's Edition," on the cover. She assumed it contained all seven textbooks combined into one easy to carry package. A smaller packet of papers sat on top of it. "I guess this is the instruction manual," Buffy said, holding up the small packet.

She flipped it open and briefly started skipping while the others gathered around the textbook. "Wow, there's so many monsters in here I've even heard of," Xander said. "And I've spent many hours looking through various books researching."

"This could prove to be very useful... and interesting," Giles said.

"You have got to be kidding me," Buffy said, outrage and disgust evident in her voice.

"What?" Giles asked, looking up in surprise.

"Fudge is such an idiot! Here he is, on the brink of another war, and he's making the teachers teach theory?! Theory works well... in theory. I mean, nothing prepares you for the real world except going out and getting your hands dirty. How can he be so stupid?"

"Wait, you're supposed to teach a bunch of kids, that could very well come up against some major evil, theory. They don't really learn how to protect themselves?" Xander asked incredulously. "I know I didn't go to college like the rest of you, but even I'm not that stupid."

"Apparently, he's changing the curriculum," Buffy said, reading the offensive material. "Any teachers that don't comply are getting sacked, and a new ministry teacher will take over. They can't do that!"

"These kids are going to school and not getting practical instruction? That's ridiculous," Giles said.

"That's Fudge for you. Blind and stupid; a deadly combination."

"Yes, deadly for everyone it seems," Giles said, reviewing the packet. "You aren't going to obey these useless rules, are you?"

"I might have to," Buffy said reluctantly. "I mean, I have to keep that job, and if I don't follow the curriculum, I'll get the boot. But maybe there's some way around it," she said with a thoughtful frown. "Until then, I have some studying to do. I didn't even finish the last two years of school!"

"Well, we can help you!" Willow said, eager to flip through the magical textbook.

"Yeah, how come we didn't get handy instructions on how to fight evil?" Xander asked. "It's because we're American isn't it? Englishmen always think they're better than us."

"If they were better, why do they need a how-to guide?" Willow asked absently, flipping through the book.

"I resent that comment," Giles said indignantly.

"So, let's get down to business," Buffy said.

They spent the rest of Saturday and the better part of Sunday studying the textbook, memorizing things that might come in handy, and making notes of other things. Buffy took out her wand and practiced several of the spells in the textbook, after trying to remember spells she had learned earlier.

To her delight, it all came back to her fairly quickly. She started out small and then impatiently hurried to try something bigger. Such as changing her hair tie into a small coffee table. The first time worked well, except the table wasn't very sturdy; it had elastic qualities to it that made it entertaining to put anything on it.

"Concentrate, Buffy," Giles said exasperated.

"You're just upset because the tea bounced back at you," Anya said with a smile. "It was rather funny."

"Not if you're on the receiving end of the scalding liquid," Giles retorted.

"Maybe now's a good time to start our first wandless magic lesson!" Willow said excitedly. She dragged Buffy into one of the bedrooms and closed the door behind them. Then she opened it quickly and said, "We need silence," before closing it again.

Buffy and Willow sat cross-legged on the floor, facing each other.

"Now, it's going to be a lot like meditation, and I know you've done plenty of it with Giles, so you should be good at it," Willow said.

Both of the girls quietly relaxed their minds and bodies and came to a tranquil state. "Now," Willow said in a trance-like quite voice, "look inside yourself for your magical centre. You should find it fairly quickly."

"Okay," Buffy said quietly.

"Focus on controlling that power, harnessing it."

Buffy was focusing on the surprisingly large area inside herself that pulsed with magic. Even though she wasn't really looking at it, it seemed to shine a rich red colour, swirling with gold streaks. It was beautiful, and it seemed to call out to her.

She gently tapped into the swarming source and then as she did, she could hear loud crashes that jolted her out of her trance.

Shards of glass surrounded her and Willow, and footsteps could be heard racing towards their door. Apparently the windows had shattered.

"Oops," Buffy said sheepishly, looking at an astonished Willow.

The door opened to reveal Xander's and Giles' worried faces, Anya safely behind them. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Just a little glassy, that's all."

"You must have a lot of power to do that!" she exclaimed. "A lot more than any of us thought."

"It was so weird," Buffy said, describing her experience. "I just wanted to touch it, and then when I did, a jolt shot through me and I hear the windows cracking."

"More like exploding," Xander said. "I didn't know what was going on in here."

"I thought we were being attacked," Giles said.

"Nope, not yet," Buffy said, standing up and brushing the glass off her clothes. She brought up her wand and said, "Reparo," watching in amusement as her friends were shocked by the way the glass lifted up off the floor, and Willow's clothes, to form sparkling windows, looking just like new.

"I wish I would have remembered how to do magic. I would have save loads on clothes and weapons," Buffy said wistfully.

"Yes, well," Giles said, taking off his glasses to clean them. "I believe that's enough for today. You've got a big day tomorrow, so you'd best get a good night's sleep."

"Yeah Buff, first day of the job. I'm so proud of you," Xander said, with fake exuberance. You're going to be a teacher. I never thought I'd see the day."

"I wish Snyder was still around," Willow said with a smile, and then, off her friends incredulous looks, added, "NO! I don't. I don't wish for anything, especially not that! What am I saying?"

"Goodnight Willow," Buffy said, walking out of the boys bedroom, giving her friend a strange look, shocked that she would even think a thing like that. Willow and Anya soon followed to their own bedroom down the hall. Buffy had split all the beds into two, and three in the case of the girl's room. It wasn't as hard as transfiguring a table, but it wasn't entirely easy.

Monday was going to be an interesting day . . .

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Monday morning found the great hall filled with students at breakfast. The staff table was entirely full, which was interesting, as that only seemed to happen on feasts.

"What do you think is going on?" Hermione asked her best friends Ron Weasley and Harry Potter.

"I don't know," Harry said with a frown. "But Dumbledore doesn't look too happy." He didn't look angry or upset, but he definitely lost the sparkle in his eyes. Other people might not have noticed it, but Harry had spent enough time around the Headmaster to know when he wasn't happy. He didn't even look this upset at the Welcoming Feast when he announced the new DADA position. He even chatted with Umbridge, which he was not doing at the moment.

"Look at McGonagall!" Ron whispered. "She looks furious!" Professor McGonagall's lips were pulled into the tightest line Harry had ever seen. She seemed to be trying very hard to keep her emotions in check, but it wasn't working too well. Every now and then her eye would twitch just the tiniest bit. Harry had been on the receiving end of plenty of her disappointed glares and angry lectures, but he had never seen her like this before.

"I'll bet it has to do with Umbridge," Harry said angrily.

"What do you think she's done now?" Hermione asked. "She looks happy enough, although it looks like something might be bothering her."

Umbridge was currently very troubled by the letter she received yesterday. She happily accepted the role of High Inquisitor, but she didn't want to be replaced as a professor. She was a little worried as to why Fudge deemed it necessary to add another ministry official to the school. Perhaps he thought she wasn't doing her job well enough? Well, she would just have to make sure that the new professor, whoever he was, was up for the job. She'd keep a very close eye on him.

Just then, Dumbledore stood up and grabbed the attention of all the students, and professors, in the Great Hall. "Good morning, students," he said. "I have been informed of a change in the Defence Against the Dark Arts position. . . "

Murmurs raced through the hall as everyone had an opinion on the topic. "Maybe she's getting the boot!" Ron cried with glee.

"Then why would Dumbledore be upset about it?" Hermione asked reasonably.

"Attention... students," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "Minister Fudge had deemed it necessary to add a new station at the school. Professor Umbridge will now be the new High Inquisitor of Hogwarts."

New murmurs started, this time louder than the first. "What about DADA?" Hermione asked miserably.

"Please don't let it be Snape," Ron moaned.

"The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher will be arriving shortly. His train was running a little late," Dumbledore said once the chatter died down. "He's a ministry official, so please treat him with the same respect and courtesy that you treat the rest of your professors. Classes will continue on as normal."

"Another ministry official? That's ridiculous!" Hermione said, distraught. "How are we going to learn anything this year if they refuse to teach us!"

"Maybe this guy will be better," Harry said. He couldn't be too upset that Umbridge would no longer teaching. The new guy had to be better than her, more reasonable at least.

"With Fudge controlling everything?" Hermione asked doubtfully. "And what is with this new position? High Inquisitor? What kind of power does she have?" Hermione asked.

"Probably way too much," Harry said angrily. He hated Umbridge with a passion. "Maybe I won't have to serve detention with her anymore."

Just then, as Dumbledore was about to continue with the new rules and details about the High Inquisitor's position, the doors of the great hall opened to reveal a small, skinny, young blonde girl.

The entire hall went silent and Ron's mouth dropped open in surprise. The young woman walked forward carelessly, and Fred and George, among others, began to whistle in appreciation.

"Who is she?!"

Whispers once again flooded the great hall, only this time they were stopped very quickly by Dumbledore's question.

"May I help you?"

"Hi! I'm Sarah Fox."

Nobody in the hall moved an inch, wanting to see who this girl was, and what she was doing at Hogwarts.

Obviously, something in Dumbledore's blank expression registered, and she said, "The new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor?"

For the first time ever, no sound was heard in the Great Hall, as surprise, disbelief and astonishment ran rampant through every one of the occupants.

"She's what?" Harry asked at the same time everyone else seemed to find their voice.

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CHAPTER 13: PROFESSOR SARAH FOX

Buffy had had a hectic morning.

Nobody had set an alarm clock and, needless to say, everyone overslept, causing many problems in the morning.

As they all wanted to see Buffy off, everyone was rushing to get ready, and fighting over the shower. After many doors being slammed, Willow's spell going awry, clothes being thrown, shoes being shoved on while hopping on one foot and brushing their teeth, they were out the door and headed for the train station.

Unfortunately, it was Monday morning and they got stuck in traffic. And then Xander had insisted on getting breakfast.

The Express Hogwarts train, designed to travel much quicker than the Hogwarts Express, was supposed to leave at 7:00 and arrive at 8:30, just enough time to get settled before her first lesson at 9:00. It was now 8:18.

"What are the chances that train is going to wait?" Xander asked while they ran through the London train station.

"Well, I am the only passenger," Buffy said, weaving through two people. "Here," she said, stopping suddenly at the pillar between platforms nine and ten. "Just walk through the wall, it's enchanted so muggles don't notice," Buffy whispered.

They quickly walked through the wall, after Buffy had gone and proved that she was not losing her mind. But when they stepped onto Platform 9 ¾, the train was nowhere to be seen.

"Great! Now what am I supposed to do?" Buffy asked. "I'm going to be late for my first day of work! That'll look really great," she said sarcastically.

"I believe you would have been late anyway," Giles said, which only earned a glare from the blonde slayer. "Perhaps if we wouldn't have stopped for food..." Giles had been downright against stopping for breakfast, although nobody listened to him.

"You didn't have any problem scarfing down three of the jellies, though," Xander said.

"Yes, well, I didn't see the need for them to go to waste," Giles said defensively.

"Celsia!" Buffy cried, waiting for her bird to come to her rescue. Sure enough, the phoenix suddenly appeared in front of her. "Hey!" she said softly, rubbing Celsia's head. "Do you think you could give me a ride to Hogwarts? I missed my train."

Celsia gave a small note of approval, and Buffy turned to quickly say goodbye to her friends. Hugs and well wishes came from everyone, and Buffy promised to contact them soon.

She took a hold of Celsia's tail feathers and asked if she could take her to Hogsmeade, and not the castle itself; she was afraid she might attract too much attention.

She was briefly amazed at the Hogsmeade village she had visited so many times before, but she didn't have the time to reminisce. She was late!

She ran all the way to the castle, stopping at the doors to fix her robes and hair. There was no need to look messy. Once again, she was startled by the sheer magnificence of the castle, and she fondly remembered the days she was at school there.

She pushed her thoughts aside and set her bags down in the hallway, knowing that a house-elf would take it. It was just after 8:30, so she wasn't as late as she had thought she would be.

She set off down the hall and, passing a headless (helmet-less) knight, came upon the closed doors of the Great Hall. Pushing one open, she stepped inside.

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The volume grew in the great hall as the buzzing continued.

"She's going to be the next DADA teacher?"

"I don't believe it, it's some kind of joke."

"She doesn't even look twenty-five, what could she know?"

"Look how small and skinny she is! How could she protect herself against the dark arts, let alone anyone else?!"

"What does a girl know about Defence? I mean, at least Umbridge looked big and scary, but she looks... well, for lack of a better term, fragile!"

"She looks like a girl!"

"She is a girl, you idiot!"

"One of the giggling, annoying girls that runs screaming if they break a nail."

"She's a teacher! But she's so hot!"

"The things I'd like to do..."

"Please let there be some mistake; let her be a student..."

Buffy blushed slightly as her enhanced slayer hearing aloud her to hear some of the comments that were racing around the room.

"How are we supposed to learn anything this year with the people Fudge sends us?" Harry asked distraught. He had hoped for a small second that maybe Fudge was fixing his mistake, but he should have known that it would be too much to ask of the ignorant man.

"She's a ministry official, Harry," Hermione said. "Even if Fudge did put a competent person in the position, the professor is still going to have to follow the theoretical curriculum. Fudge is taking over control as best as he can."

"At least she's better than Umbridge," Ron said dreamily, his eyes fixed on the new professor.

"I doubt it," Hermione said haughtily, not noticing Ron. "She looks like the stereotypical dumb blonde. That cannot be good."

"But she's gorgeous!"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, turning to look at Ron for the first time. "She's a professor."

"Lockhart," was all Harry said, exchanging a meaningful glace with Ron while Hermione blushed.

"That was a completely different situation," she said defensively. "We were much younger and more influential."

"Uh huh," Ron said dismissively. "So, Harry, what do you think of the new professor?"

"She's pretty, I guess," Harry said.

"You guess?!" Ron asked, not believing what he heard. "What do you mean, you guess? She's downright beautiful."

"I'm not saying she's ugly, I'm just saying that... she's not my type," Harry said, searching for how to describe how he felt.

"Harry, a girl like that is everybody's type," Ron said.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, scandalized. "How could you say something like that? Especially about the new professor!"

"What?" Ron asked clueless.

"Unlike some people, I don't go lusting after the professors, that's all," Harry said with a smirk, earning a glare from each of his best friends. No one was able to retort as Dumbledore had chosen that moment to cease the chatter in the hall.

All the teachers were looking at Professor Fox in amazement and shock. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape were standing up and hovering by Dumbledore, clearly outraged by the turn of events.

Umbridge was sitting smugly in her chair, enjoying the scene, as she knew her job was not in jeopardy. Fudge obviously put the little tart in to cause some... disagreements, in order to hasten along their little project. Now all she had to do was make sure this Sarah Fox didn't screw anything up out of sheer stupidity.

Dumbledore was stuck between amusement, that Fudge had the audacity to bring someone like Miss Fox in as a teacher, and annoyance, that Fudge was so blind and arrogant to jeopardize the students' lives. He didn't seem to know that the students still needed a good education, whether or not Voldemort was indeed back. There were other evils in the world besides the one dark wizard.

Buffy stood where she was, overwhelmed by everything that was going on. This was the first time she'd been back to the castle, and she wanted to cry with relief that she was finally home. Everything was so familiar and reminded her of happier times. Life wasn't always fair, but there were good times to be had, and holding on to those precious moments is what gets you through the hard times.

It was going to be difficult to pull this off, but Willow was very helpful this morning. She had an inspirational moment and had come up with a Wiccan spell that would dissuade anyone from knowing who she was. Of course, there was mass confusion at the conclusion of the spell, as no one recognized her. They still knew they had a blonde friend named Buffy, but they couldn't understand that the person in front of them was Buffy. It was an interesting, and hectic, experience. Fortunately, Willow redid the spell so that people would recognize her only when she told them her real name, Elizabeth Potter.

So basically, people would still know that James had a sister, but they would never connect Buffy, or Sarah, to Elizabeth Potter. This eased Buffy's mind considerably, because she was so afraid that she would be recognized and then her whole plan would collapse. Dumbledore always seemed to know what was going on, but he'd been fooled before and she wanted to fool him again. At least until she was ready; she still had no idea who to trust.

At the moment, she had to act the part of a blonde bimbo. 'It won't be too hard as I acted like this at Hemery,' Buffy thought, trying to ease her nerves. She had always sucked at undercover, but over the years she had become great at lying. It was almost second nature to her now.

"This is Hogwarts, right?" Buffy said once the hall grew silent at Dumbledore's request.

"Yes it is," Dumbledore said. "We're very happy to welcome you here as our new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."

Buffy smiled gratefully until the familiar looking greasy haired man standing next to the headmaster spoke up. "What exactly are your credentials, Miss Fox?" he sneered.

Buffy tilted her head and a confused look crossed her features before she said, "Pardon?"

"What are your qualifications for this job?" the man said with exasperation. "What experience do you have with defence against the dark arts?"

Anger rose up inside her as she heard chuckles break out. Just because she was a girl, had a small structure, and was blonde, people automatically assumed that she was a helpless, stupid girl. "I try to stay away from the dark arts and anything defensive," Buffy said with a small smile. "I might break a nail." She looked over at the boys she heard earlier and heard one say 'I told you!' There was no need to dispel their idiotic notions yet. It was a perfect cover.

"Severus," Dumbledore said sharply, before he could blow up at her. 'Severus?' Buffy thought incredulously. 'Severus Snape! I knew he looked familiar!' She was surprised to find him here as a professor. He didn't seem to be the type of person that would like kids. "That's enough," Dumbledore said. "There's no need for an interrogation. If the Minster thinks that she is qualified for the job, then she is. Now, let's welcome Miss Fox to our school."

Applause broke out among the four tables, to scattered degrees. Some people were cheering and wolf whistling at her, while others clapped dejectedly. A lot of people didn't know what to think about the new professor. Certainly they wanted one that actually knew the material, but she looked stupid enough to be taken advantage of. And maybe, she wouldn't give any homework.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Dumbledore offered, conjuring up a chair and placing it between himself and Umbridge. Snape stormed out of the great hall and Professor McGonagall sat stiffly in her chair. "I'd love some," Buffy said, walking up to the Head table. She never thought that she would be sitting up there with all of the teachers. She had always wanted to be an auror like her father was, but she felt a swell of pride at being considered relatively equal with the great minds at Hogwarts. She now had the chance to show Robin that she could be a good counsellor, or professor in this case. She wasn't entirely hopeless.

Kids heads turned as she walked by and she tried to be casual in her search for Harry; she didn't want to look like she was looking for anyone. Unfortunately, She had no idea what he looked like or what house he was in, although she assumed it was Gryffindor. She tried to envision what James' and Lily's son would look like, and envisioned a scary creation because she tried to pick out certain traits instead of a nice blend. She hoped that he didn't look like her, scary mix and match picture.

As she gratefully sat down in the chair, she turned to Umbridge beside her. "Hi. I'm Sarah. You must be Dolores, Cornelius has told me such wonderful things about you," Buffy said with a fake smile, lying through her teeth. There was something about that lady that made her want to punch her, so Buffy occupied her hands otherwise by placing a napkin in her lap.

"I'm sure he has," Umbridge said giving a small smug smile. "But he hasn't mentioned you."

"I haven't been around that long. I'm new. I actually just met Cornelius on Friday and he was so helpful in helping me find a better job. I was about out of my mind with worry about what I was going to do. He's such a nice man," Buffy said quickly. She felt disgusted having to say what she was.

Buffy started to look down the Gryffindor table again, intent on finding her nephew. She was barely listening to what Umbridge was saying. He could be anyone! The redhead, no he's a twin... unless they had twins, but no one mentioned a twin. The brown haired boy? No. Girl. Too young, girl, too young. Too old. Girl, girl, girl, girl. Too small. Brunette. No. Blonde. No. Girl.

"Would you like some juice, Miss Fox, since you don't seem very hungry," Dumbledore said, disrupting her search, and indicating her empty plate.

Buffy smiled thankfully and reached out to grab the pitcher. She continued searching discretely while she lifted it up.

Another red-head, looks like he's the twins' brother. Can't be him then. Girl with bushy hair. Buffy started to tilt the pitcher slightly, preparing to pour it into her goblet. She looked across from the girl with the bushy hair and the pitcher dropped from her hands.

Juice ran everywhere, soaking herself, Dumbledore and Umbridge, while managing to splash some other professors. Buffy stood up in surprise with the contact of the juice, but managed to look up quickly to search for the boy she had just seen. 'James?' she thought.

The whole hall had looked up at the head table to see what the commotion was about, and soon everyone was laughing. Then someone began clapping, and more people joined in.

"Are you okay?" Dumbledore asked her, concerned. Umbridge just scowled and cleared her throat with a hem hem noise.

"Yeah," Buffy said, distracted. "It just slipped. Sorry." It couldn't have been James, but it looked just like him. When she looked back again, she couldn't find him. People were starting to leave and there were too many people in the way.

Dumbledore followed her gaze, and tried to piece together what happened. He came to a conclusion that was partially correct. "Ah yes, Mr. Potter does go to school here. You will be teaching him, today if I'm not mistaken. But I must beg you not to bother him please. He should be treated just like every other student here. I daresay your reaction was the most startling I've seen, and I hope that you'll overcome your excitement and shock. He doesn't like to be treated special."

Buffy turned to look at Dumbledore questioningly. She had no idea what he was going on about, but it didn't seem to be because he knew who he was to her. That was a good thing.

"Yes, Mr. Potter should be treated like all of the other students," Umbridge agreed with a scowl. "He's a trouble maker, don't be afraid to punish him. He needs to be straightened out. Why don't we get cleaned up and then we'll go over your lesson plans for today before class," she said, walking away from the table.

Dumbledore looked at Umbridge for a moment, his expression unreadable, before he turned his curious gaze onto Buffy. "I'll have one of the house elves escort you to your quarters," he said. "No doubt your bags were already taken." Out of nowhere, a house elf with the typical pointy ears popped up, and bowed low.

She was startled at the sudden appearance, and had to restrain herself from automatically hurting, or grabbing, the poor elf. "Thank you," Buffy said to Dumbledore and followed the house-elf out a door in the back of the hall.

Dumbledore looked thoughtfully after Buffy as she left. Minerva stirred to his left.

"What is he thinking?" she asked furiously. "He is purposefully trying to tear this school apart! How are the students supposed to learn anything? He keeps sending in officials that have no business teaching. The students have their futures ahead of them, not to mention the O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s."

"He's trying to discredit Harry and me, hopefully so that he'll either be expelled, or I'll be dismissed. Preferably both," Dumbledore said. "I think he'll find it harder than he might think, although this year is going to be trying."

"Trying to put up with those two will be trying," McGonagall said scornfully.

"Yes..." Dumbledore said. "There's something about her..."

"Who?" McGonagall said, feeling like she missed something, which wasn't a rare occurrence where the headmaster was concerned.

"Sarah Fox," Dumbledore said. "It seemed almost as if she was playing a role."

"She seemed perfectly clueless to me," McGonagall huffed.

"Did you notice what happened when she saw Harry? I've seen people look at him with awe and wonder, some fear and loathing, but when she saw him, she looked like she had seen a ghost."

"Who knows what the Minister filled her head with, and believe me, there's plenty he could have said with all the empty space she has," McGonagall said.

"Minerva!" Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Well honestly, Albus," she said. "What are we supposed to do with an airhead like that?"

"I'm sure she's been well-informed of her duties," Dumbledore said with a slight frown.

"I don't think it should be too hard for her to sit at the front of the class and do her nails while the students read theory," McGonagall said. "You know that I want my students to read and know the theory, but theory can only do so much. Practical knowledge is what really shows what you can accomplish."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Dumbledore said wearily.

"Can't you kick them out?" McGonagall said hopelessly, latching on to anything.

"I'm afraid I don't have the power. Especially now that Dolores has been made High Inquisitor, most of my authority at Hogwarts is vanishing. Cornelius knows this and will take everything away from me a little bit at a time. For the most part the man is blind and ignorant, but there is a smart man deep within himself that comes out when he's in trouble."

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Harry, Hermione, and Ron all walked out of the great hall and headed towards the dungeon where they had double potions first thing. They couldn't be late.

"Great, now that Snape's in an awful mood, let's go spend several hours in the dark, dank, cold basement where no one can save us," Ron complained. "Double Potions with Slytherin on Monday. It should be illegal."

"We have Defence after lunch also," Harry said dejectedly.

"Wonderful," Hermione said sarcastically. "Just try not to get a detention, okay?"

"I'll try. If she's anything like Umbridge then it'll be impossible."

"Maybe she won't be so bad," Ron said, thinking back to the blonde. "And besides, even if we don't learn anything useful, at least she's very easy on the eyes. Now I have something to stare at during class."

"Ron!" Hermione chided as they neared to potions classroom.

"Hey Neville," Harry said to the forgetful boy that was waiting near the door.

"I didn't want to be the first one in," he explained. "He's in a foul mood. Did you see how he stormed away at breakfast?"

"Well, we're here now. And don't worry, he'd much rather yell at me than at you," Harry told him. He took a deep breath and opened the door, then sighed dejectedly at what was to come.

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Buffy followed the house-elf, not paying much attention to where they were going. She was in shock. Harry looked like an exact replica of James. It had brought a fresh wave of pain crashing through her body and shaking her foundation. How was she supposed to get through each day seeing him? This was going to be harder than she thought.

The quiet house-elf stopped suddenly at a portrait of a calm lake, a gentle breeze whistling through the trees that lined the background. A little hut stood on the right bank, and a small boy and girl were quietly fishing on the dock.

"Just choose a password," the house-elf told her, pointing towards the painting.

"Thank you," Buffy said quietly, and the house-elf disappeared with a crack.

The little girl on the dock called out to her, asking her what she wanted her password to be.

"James," Buffy answered distractedly, still thinking about her brother and how much she wished he was here with her now. He would undoubtedly find her whole situation funny, and definitely congratulate her on successfully manipulating the Minister of Magic. Not that it was that hard.

The portrait swung open, and she walked in to her new quarters. There was a small fireplace with a couple of big comfy chairs in the middle of the floor, and there were two doors next to each other on the right wall. 'Bedroom and bathroom,' Buffy thought.

She went into her bedroom and found her bags on the four-poster bed. She quickly changed her robes, leaving the soiled ones on the ancient dresser. She picked up a couple of books and replaced her wand up the sleeve of her fresh robes. She was going to be late for her first class!

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CHAPTER 14: LESSONS

Buffy raced to the classroom that was the DADA classroom when she was in school; she just hoped they hadn't changed it. She flew down the empty hallways, carefully balancing all her books in her arms. Even though she had lived here for the better part of four years, she hadn't walked the halls for years. The more she moved around, the more she remembered, but unfortunately, she forgot about the trick step in one of the staircases.

Her foot sunk in the wood and her hands flew the books up as she tried to keep her balance. She quickly regained her composure, and her balance, as the books started to change direction and come back down. She yanked her foot free, and balanced precariously on the other steps while she reached forward to grab at the books.

Her right hand caught the book falling on her far right while her the fingers on her left hand just barely caught onto the book that was falling right in front of her. She leaped down two steps to slam the folder in between the books in her hands. She just missed her last book as it dropped past her otherwise occupied hands, but with her quick slayer reflexes, she brought her foot up and kicked it before it hit the ground, giving it enough height to soar upwards while she straightened her books in a pile and let the book land flat on top of the pile with a small smack.

Buffy stood up straight and breathed a small sigh of relief as she looked around the corridor to make sure no one was around. It wouldn't do to have anyone witness that spectacular event. Luckily, everyone was in his or her respective classrooms, where she should have been four minutes ago!

She continued her fast paced trek to the classroom after sending a glare at the trick step. She finally reached the location of her old DADA classroom and was slightly worried that the door was closed. Upon opening the door, her worries were only increased.

Yes, she was relieved that there were students in their seats, but there was also someone sitting at the desk in the front of the room. And it wasn't her.

"Professor Fox, I'm glad you could finally make it."

Buffy was extremely disappointed with this turn of events, but she kept a straight face and came up with an excuse. "No one showed me where the classroom was and I was wondering all over the castle until I finally ran into a late student who showed me the way. I didn't realized that you'd be here, but thanks for covering for me." Buffy put on her best innocent looking face and gave a small smile.

"Hem hem... I'll be here your first week to make sure everything goes well for you and that you follow the curriculum. I'm just here to check up on you and make sure everything goes smoothly for you," Umbridge said with a sickly smile.

"Aww, that's so sweet of you!" Buffy said with a cheerful smile and exuberant enthusiasm. "We'll have so much fun!" Inside, Buffy was fuming. She was going to ruin all her plans! She tried to calm down in order to think rationally. It was okay, all she had to do was follow the little toad's orders for a week, and then she would be free to do her own thing. In the mean time, she could annoy the crap out of her and maybe she'd leave even earlier!

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Buffy said, prancing over to the desk and dropping her books on top. She was well aware that all the students in the classroom were staring at her.

"Here's your list of classes, when and who you teach," Umbridge said, handing over a sheet of paper.

Buffy took it up and glanced over it, wondering what year Harry was in and when she would teach him. She didn't know if she could do it yet, as he looked so much like James. It would take some getting used to, but with time, hopefully she would get over it. She really did want to get to know Harry; he was her only family left.

By the looks of things, when she did teach him, he wouldn't like her. At least while she still had to follow Umbridge''s stupid plan. She'd have to think about a way to get around this new development.

Buffy put the paper down and hopped up on the desk, sitting with her legs swinging slightly. "So what do we do first?" she asked, pulling imaginary lint off her robes.

Umbridge was amazed that the minister could hire someone so obviously incompetent to do this important job; they were trying to get Mr. Potter expelled and Dumbledore kicked out of his position. To be honest, maybe it was better that she was so, well, blonde. That way she wouldn't think, she'd only follow orders.

"It's simple, even someone like you could do this," Umbridge said with a sneer. "They open their books to where they left off, and then they read. They must learn the theory. Whenever you feel like it, assign an essay or two on something they have read. That's it."

Buffy sat unbelieving as she listened to what Umbridge told her. She wasn't supposed to do anything! How were they ever going to learn?

She pretended to be really be thinking about what she was told. If only she had some gum... "So, what am I supposed to do?"

"Sit at the desk and make sure everyone does what they're supposed to do. If they're not, or they're making trouble, assign them detention. I'll handle them. Other than that, just sit and look pretty."

"Oh, I can do that!" Buffy said enthusiastically. She smiled brightly and played with her hair, making sure it was perfect.

"Well, hem hem, you should also make sure you're on time from now on, hem hem."

Buffy just stared at her, the hem hemming really grating her nerves. She forced a smile and shrugged. "No problem."

"Get back to reading," Umbridge practically snarled at the first years that were staring with amazement with their new, clueless, professor. They all jumped, some even yelped, and Buffy felt sorry for the poor kids that had to put up with Umbridge. It was like Snyder all over again.

The class dragged on with total silence in the room, as the first years were too scared to say anything. Buffy was incredibly bored. There was nothing to do, so she just sat on the desk and swung her legs and played with her hair. She couldn't even read, because she thought Umbridge might become suspicious.

Finally, it was time for class to be over, and the students all sighed with relief. They quickly packed their books and rushed out of the door, happy to be away from the crazy toad lady and the blonde bimbo.

Buffy picked up her paper and checked her schedule. She had seventh years Hufflepuffs next, then fifth year Gryffindors before a lunch break. She didn't know if she could make it to lunch; she'd probably die of boredom first.

She waited impatiently for her next class to come. Amazingly enough, no one entered the classroom until right before class was supposed to start. It was as if they were savouring as much time without Umbridge as they could get. Buffy didn't blame them.

Buffy didn't think it was possible, but it seemed that this class was even more boring than the one before. She even found herself nodding off at times, only to have her head snap up and wake her up. At the end of the class, Buffy was out the door with the rest of the Hufflepuffs.

She wanted to move around for a while and stretch her muscles before she needed to go back and sit in that supremely boring classroom. This was going to be the longest week of her life.

She walked around for a while and was on her way back to the classroom when she heard some students coming down the hall. Normally, she wouldn't have paid them any attention, except she heard a girl's voice address someone named Harry.

She froze, luckily hidden around the corner, and listened to their conversation. Apparently they were upset about something.

"How can he be so mean? Neville wouldn't have blown up his cauldron if it wasn't for Malfoy."

"It's Snape, what do you expect?" a bitter voice asked.

"He's a git, Hermione, we all know this," a third voice intoned.

"But wasn't it bad enough that he embarrassed him yet again in front of the class?"

"And take off more house points," a boy complained.

"But did he really have to go to such extremes? We all know that Potions isn't Neville's best subject, but there's no need to do what he does. Neville must feel awful."

"Well, when he comes into DADA you can ask him about it," one of the boys said sarcastically.

The other boy groaned and said, "I don't know if I can sit through that now."

"Oh Harry, try not to lose your temper please. Maybe Professor Fox won't be so bad."

"Yeah, anyone that looks that hot can't be bad," one boy said dreamily.

"Ron!" Hermione said, smacking him.

"Hey!" Ron cried. "Anyway, Harry try not to get detention okay? Angelina won't be pleased if you miss practice yet again."

"Okay, okay. I'll try, but I can't promise you anything," Harry said.

The trio rounded the corner and walked sulkily into the classroom. Her classroom. Apparently, Harry was in fifth year. Buffy, from her still hidden spot, mulled over what she had heard. Class was about to start, so she hurried into the classroom; there was no need to be late twice.

Upon entering the room, she found everyone in their seats, waiting. Most were surprised that Umbridge was sitting behind the desk (she hadn't offered the chair to Buffy, even though she was supposed to be the professor).

Harry and his friends, Hermione and Ron, were sitting in the front. Arriving the latest, they got the seats closest to the dreaded Umbridge. People looked slightly happier when she walked into the room, and that made her feel somewhat better.

Buffy walked to the desk, avoiding Harry's gaze. Looking at him was just too hard; instead, she looked at Umbridge expectantly. "Where's the roll?"

Umbridge looked a little confused and then looked around the desk. She opened the top right drawer and pulled out sheets of paper, presumably the roll. It didn't look like she had taken it for a while. She handed them over to Buffy with a hem hem.

Buffy took the papers, possibly a little too violently due to the annoying noise she kept making, and started to read the names off the list. She knew that everyone was here, all the desks were full, but she wanted to know who was who. The boy the trio had been talking about, Neville, was a slightly pudgy boy that seemed a little nervous and upset. Apparently the girl had been right in saying that he would be hurt from the Potions lesson.

She was happy to say that she had assumed correctly that Harry's two friends were Ron and Hermione. The name Weasley rang a little bell in her head, as did Longbottom. She should have known that she would have been teaching kids of her former classmates. Everyone was all grown up now and had families of their own.

She had paused only a half a second longer on Harry's name, she got a little upset attempting to say Potter. She didn't think anyone had noticed her little lapse, and she continued through to the end.

Once she was done, she set the papers down and hopped back onto her desk. "So, open your books and start reading where you left off."

Almost everyone reluctantly took out their books and set them on their desks; however, the trio in the front row did not. In fact, Hermione actually raised her hand.

"Yes?" Buffy asked curiously.

"What exactly are your plans for this class?"

"Plans?" Buffy asked, acting puzzled. Everyone else in class froze, watching the explosion that was imminent. Buffy was actually pleased, maybe someone did have the guts to stand up to the teacher.

"Yes, plans. What do you plan to teach us, what is your agenda. You must have some idea where you want us to be at the end of the year, what is on the curriculum and how to go about preparing for our exams! O.W.L.'s are this year, and you don't have any plans?" Hermione continued, growing more and more frantic, as Buffy continued to look more and more puzzled.

"I just got here this morning," Buffy said, as if that explained it all.

"Do you even know what class you're teaching?" Harry said scathingly, disgusted at the new teacher.

Buffy looked sharply at Harry, surprised at his tone. Behind her, Professor Umbridge spoke up.

"Harry Potter. Our class trouble maker; you want to watch out for him. He's a disrespectful liar. Just give him detention; it hasn't worked yet, but I believe that it will given time."

Buffy carefully watched Harry's expressions while Umbridge continued her speech. He wasn't very good at hiding his emotions; it was obvious he was beyond mad. It seemed like a foreign emotion on his face, because she had never seen James so angry.

The closer she looked, the more she realized that he wasn't really like James. His eyes were what gave him away. Besides the fact that they reminded her of Lily, they held so much anger and disappointment. They were eyes similar to the ones she saw in the mirror when she was first called as a slayer; the weight of the world and all that. Now her eyes held much more pain and disappointment. She wondered what could have happened to him to make him like that. Eyes like that held too much emotion to be caused by one incident. It didn't seem like he'd had a very nice life so far.

"I'm not a liar," Harry said, once again, through clenched teeth. "I'm not the one pretending to be someone I'm not." Harry didn't know how right he was. Buffy was hiding, but he wasn't talking about her identity. "Do you even have any idea what this class is about? I bet you couldn't take on any wizard or dark creature of any kind. There's no way you have any qualifications to be a professor of this class."

Buffy was a little surprised, and upset, at her nephew's attitude and behaviour. Obviously this boy had issues that needed to be solved. And he had no idea what kind of qualifications she had for the job; but he couldn't know that.

"Well, Cornelius was nice enough to give me this job. I was desperate," Buffy said, explaining why she took the job.

"Great, so our future and education is jeopardized because you were desperate for a job?" Harry spat. "Thanks. I hope you'll take responsibility when we run into some dark wizard and get killed."

"Mr. Potter, there are no dark wizards running around, and you'd do best to keep your mouth shut!" Umbridge said.

Harry was getting more and more upset, and everyone could tell he was about to explode. This was exactly what Umbridge was waiting for, and Buffy knew it. She had to do something.

"Mr. Potter, obviously detentions are not working, because you seem to be getting enough of them, yet your behaviour has not improved. Something else must be done." Buffy looked around the room, ignoring the confused yet outraged look on Harry's face. She zeroed in on her target. Neville Longbottom.

"Perhaps putting one of your friends in detention tonight will change your attitude. Make you think about how your behaviour affects those around you. Neville. Detention with me tonight at 8:00 sharp. If you're late, you'll have another detention." Neville's eyes were bulging out in surprise and fear.

Everyone in the class was outraged. "You can't do that!" Hermione exclaimed. "Of course I can do that. I'm the professor and you're the students. You do as you're told or you get punished," Buffy said. She was not playing the blonde bimbo at the moment and was currently scaring some of the students.

"But he didn't do anything wrong!"

"I didn't say that he did, but perhaps it's time that something was changed around here. I say he has detention, do you want someone else to get it at your expense? If so, please, keep talking."

Hermione looked torn between speaking up again and keeping her mouth shut. She opted for the latter and sat back down, defeated.

"If anyone has a problem with the way I'm doing my job, please, feel free to talk to the High Inquisitor. I'm sure she will be willing to take action against any unfairness."

Harry had surprisingly, kept quiet throughout the exchange. There was something off about the new professor. She was supposed to be a blonde bimbo, but she was showing a threatening, darker side. She was hiding something, and he didn't like it.

Umbridge was astonished at this new Sarah Fox. She was acting much more forceful than she was supposed to be. Maybe this was the person Fudge hired and the act was just to throw people off guard. She seemed to be a good person for the job, but now that she was showing some more strength, Umbridge was once again worried for her job.

Buffy was a little upset that she gave away her blonde act already, but maybe all was not lost. Now that silence had once again reigned in the classroom, she put on a smile and said, "Great! Now, open your books and begin reading."

The rest of the class went by fairly quickly. No more arguments were given the rest of the class, but several of the boys kept staring at her. Some were drooling, namely the redhead in front.

Class ended, and it was time for lunch. Everyone filed out of the classroom, and went off to the great hall to eat. Buffy, however, was not hungry, and opted to go to her room for a while and relax before her next class.

"James," she said, reciting the password to the painting and waving at the little girl and boy still sitting on the dock.

She walked into her room and laid on the bed. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

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Buffy was walking down the halls at Hogwarts, on her way to the Quidditch Pitch, when she felt someone's presence behind her. Watching her.

Turning around, she searched for the person in the shadows of the castle. Her eyes fixed upon one location and she watched as a tall, vaguely familiar figure with semi-long black hair stepped from the darkest corner.

He stepped closer to her and she searched his face, trying to place it. "Buffy?" he asked, surprised.

Her eyes widened in realization, and tears of disbelief and happiness rose up. "Sirius?"

He stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. "I thought you were dead!"

Buffy returned the hug whole-heartedly and nuzzled his neck slightly with her head. "I missed you so much!" she said through her tears.

They pulled apart slightly and he looked into her bright green eyes, filled with love. He bowed his head and captured her lips with his own. The kiss grew in passion as they continued on. They pulled apart for a brief second to get air, but then soon closed the gap again. Sirius slid his hand up the back of Buffy's shirt and Buffy tangled her hand in his hair.

"I love you," he said as they broke apart. "I never stopped."

"I love you too," she said.

He bent down to kiss her once again but his lips never reached her own.

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Buffy bolted up in her bed. She had lost all sense of time and had no idea where she was. She brought her hand up to her lips. She could still feel his lips on her own. Merlin, how she missed him.

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In his room, Sirius Black bolted upright in his bed, breathing heavily. "Buffy?"

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CHAPTER 15: SIRIUS

Sirius sat in his bed breathing heavily, visibly shaken by his dream. He couldn't remember the last time he had thought about Buffy; not before his time in Azkaban, that's for sure. When Moody had brought back her lifeless body, his heart broke and it had yet to heal completely. At first he had wanted revenge and had spent a great deal of time with James planning, but Remus' intervention put a stop to that.

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Sirius and James sat around their room with books piled everywhere while trash littered any open space left. They had barely moved from their room since the incident, not even to get food. They were so consumed with hatred and driven by revenge.

Remus was getting worried about the two of them. He missed Buffy, but she wasn't his sister or his girlfriend. He was hurting, but not to the extent that he knew James and Sirius would be. Knowing his two friends, they would undoubtedly do something stupid since they weren't thinking clearly; not that they needed that excuse!

He had tried owling them, but his letters were returned unopened. He tried knocking on their door, but no one answered, even though he was sure someone was home.

James' parents weren't taking the news of their only daughter and youngest child's death well. They rarely answered the door, mainly to avoid nosy reporters, but they also closed off their fireplace; they obviously didn't want any guests. Remus didn't know what to do.

Finally, as his third owl was returned unanswered, Remus got fed up. He went down to their house and walked around to James' bedroom window. The curtains were drawn, not letting him see anything inside the room. He tried to listen for any sounds, but all he could hear was the whipping wind. He knocked on the window and waited.

Nothing. He sighed and then tried to pry the window open with his hands. It was locked tight. He glared slightly at the window and brandished his wand, as if he expected it to open at the mere sight of the piece of wood.

Giving a few waves of his wand and a couple of choice words, the window rushed open, banging roughly into the top of the frame. The curtains billowed inward with the sudden onslaught of wind. Remus crawled in through the window and closed it behind him, cutting off the fresh air, which the room desperately needed, if for nothing else than to clear away the stench.

Two black haired boys were staring at him from the bed with parchment scattered everywhere. "Remus," James said surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Remus looked at his two friends incredulously. "What do you think I'm doing here? I haven't seen you guys at all in the past week! You haven't answered any of my owls and you didn't even answer the door, or your own window for that matter," Remus ranted.

"Sorry, we've been busy," James said.

"Now if you don't mind," Sirius said, examining the pages once more, looking for something useful.

Remus just blinked in amazement. Then he narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he finally noticed all the books around them. "What are you doing?" he asked cautiously.

"Researching," James said absently, turning a page.

"Researching what?" Remus continued. "I know you already finished your homework and school doesn't start for another two days." They had all done their homework earlier in the summer. Not only was it easier to complete while they still had some knowledge of school, but it also made the summer much brighter, as they didn't have assignments hanging over their heads.

"Curses," Sirius said shortly.

"Why," Remus said, a reason forming in his head, but wanting it to be confirmed.

"To get back at the bastards that... did this," Sirius said, his voice full of anger, but he was unable to say exactly what they did. It hurt too much.

"You can't be serious," Remus said, incredulously.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his remark and said, "Why not?"

"You'll get killed! You haven''t even finished school and you expect to go against an army of death eaters and live to tell the tale? How thick are you?"

"They have to pay," James said, his eyes flashing. "She was my sister, and I couldn't help her, couldn't save her. I have to do something."

"You're not the only ones that hurt; Lily was her best friend and she's been torn up, not that you'd know that since you didn't bother to answer any of my letters."

James felt really bad for not even thinking about Lily, but she was his sister! She could be a pain in the butt sometimes, but that's what little sisters are for; he didn't love her any less, in fact, he loved her even more. And most of the time they got along great. There wasn't much that could make them fight. And now she was gone.

"Do you really think she'd want you to do something this suicidal? Stop and think for a moment, please," Remus said. "You'll never win!"

"Well, we might as well take as many of them with us as we can," Sirius said.

"SHE'S DEAD!" Remus yelled, trying to get through to his friends. They froze at the blatant use of the words they had avoided. "She's not coming back," Remus said quietly after a moment's silence. "I know it hurts, I hurt too, but you have to move on. There's no point dwelling on the fact that you couldn't save her; she knew that you tried. If all five of us fighting couldn't do anything, what chance do you two have?

"She wouldn't want you to do anything stupid, like go and get yourselves killed. She'd want you to go back to school, do something really unthinkable and dedicate it to her. It's not going to be better all of a sudden, but it will start to hurt less. You still have me and Peter and Lily, not to mention your parents. What are we supposed to do if you go and get killed? We've already lost somebody, there's no need to lose another."

James and Sirius were listening to Remus' speech intently and it made sense, but they were still lost. "What are we supposed to do?" James said brokenly. "Planning our revenge was the only thing that could hold back the pain. If we just had a plan, then maybe we wouldn't have to face the fact that she's... that she's gone. That's why we put all our effort into it."

"What you do know," Remus said, feeling awful for his friends, "is to remember her and continue on with your life. I know this might sound awful, but life does go on."

"Not for her," Sirius said bitterly.

"No," Remus said softly, "not for her, but for you, and for us, it does. It's going to be hard, and painful, but it's something you'll learn to deal with."

"I don't want to deal with it!" Sirius yelled, jumping up. "I want her back!" He strode out the door and then out of the house, slamming the door behind him. He just wanted her back.

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Sirius shakily got out of bed and walked over to his bathroom to run water over his face. He couldn't stand the pain back then. It hurt too much to think of her and know that he would never see her smile again, never hear her teasing voice, never kiss her again, or tell her how much he loved her.

The pain was so unbearable, that he vowed never to think about her. No one ever talked about her much, and they went to school for their seventh year as usual. There had been a toasting at the Welcoming Feast and a moment of silence, but after that, the friends tried to get back into a normal routine.

They were fairly successful, but her presence was sorely missed. Quidditch was never the same, the school was never the same, and neither were they. But they moved on, albeit very slowly. Every once and a while, something would happen to make him think of his first love, and he would lapse into broody silence for a while, before shaking himself out of it and planning a joke for her.

One time, they had come up with the brilliant idea of moving the Slytherins' beds onto the lake while they were sleeping. All of them. Needless to say, when the first to seventh year Slytherins woke up on shaky beds floating uneasily on the lake, with tentacles wrapping around some of them, they were not happy. But, it was a great spectacle to see. It was for Buffy, as all the Death Eaters were known to come from Slytherin.

Once they put the finishing touches on the map they had been working on for the last several years, they named it the Marauder's Map, for Buffy, and dedicated it to her.

They had all moved on after Hogwarts, Lily and James got married and had Harry while Remus, Sirius, and Peter remained single. Then the attack on the Potter's came once again causing more grief upon them all. Sirius was shipped off to Azkaban where he never thought of Buffy once in twelve years. He hadn't even thought of her since he escaped, so needless to say he was shocked over his dream.

She had looked so real, and much older; 'although not as old as she would have been,' Sirius thought with a frown. How did he know what she would look like when she was older? A guess? It seemed to be a pretty good guess. She was so beautiful and he knew some part of him still loved her, as his heart had beat rapidly in his chest at the sight of her.

Sirius shook his head to clear his thoughts, but her image would not go away. He walked downstairs to get something to drink. He could still feel her lips on his own and the softness of her long, blonde hair...

Remus was sitting in the kitchen nursing a cup of tea and looked up when the door opened to admit a preoccupied Sirius. "How was your nap?" he asked his friend. Trapped in this house, Sirius had a limited amount of things to do: clean or sleep. It wasn't surprising he chose the latter frequently.

Sirius started at the sound of his friend's voice and turned sharply to look at the werewolf; it was as if he could read his mind.

"Padfoot?" Remus asked carefully, surprised and worried at his friend's reaction. "Is everything okay?'

Sirius debated over telling Remus about his dream or not, but quickly decided to, as he needed someone to confide in; someone who knew her.

He sat down heavily across from Remus at the table. Remus only became increasingly worried about his friend. "I had a dream."

"And," Remus prompted.

"It was about her," Sirius said, looking his friend in the eyes.

At first Remus didn't understand exactly who he meant, and he searched through his mind to find a 'her' that Sirius could be referring to, and be this torn up about. His eyes widened as he came upon an answer. He couldn't possibly mean her, could he? Nobody had talked about her in years, it was almost as if she had never existed.

"You don't mean..." Remus started to say, but couldn't bring himself to say her name in case he was wrong.

"Yes, Buffy," Sirius said, closing his eyes with a sigh.

Remus was shocked that his guess had been correct; not shocked that he had been right, but shocked that Sirius had a dream about Buffy. As far as he knew, Sirius didn't think about her anymore either. She had certainly never been brought up in any conversation they'd had.

"Have you dreamt about her before?"

"No," Sirius admitted. "At least not before she died." It wasn't difficult to talk about her death as it had once been. It had been about 15 years, but it still hurt; first love and all that. It still hurt that James and Lily were killed, but he had gotten over the fact that they weren't coming back. He had accepted it and moved on, like Remus once told him to do.

"What about her?" Remus asked curiously.

"I was at Hogwarts and I saw someone walking down the halls, and she turned around, and it was her. It was Buffy," Sirius said with his eyes closed, as he remembered what she looked like. "It was strange, because it wasn't the Buffy we knew. She was older, but young as well. I mean, she couldn't have been any older than 25."

"How old were you?" Remus asked, surprised at this development.

"Same age as I am now, I think," Sirius said with a frown. "Nobody else was there, but it seemed as if it was real. I thought it was really her, come back from the dead," Sirius said with a bitter laugh.

"Did she say anything?"

Sirius paused for a moment, before saying, "She said she missed me, and that she loved me."

Remus didn't know what to make of the dream. Obviously, it wasn't true, because they had seen the body, had seen it get lowered into the ground. And there wasn't any spell powerful enough to bring a person back from the dead; at least, not without turning them into a zombie of some kind.

"Maybe it's just all your memories and emotions coming back from when you were in Azkaban," Remus said.

Sirius frowned at him and said, "I've been out for about two years now."

"Yes, but the first year you were sorely focused on getting to Wormtail, and the second year you were too busy worrying about Harry and the Triwizard tournament. Now that you don't have anything to occupy your time, your repressed thoughts are making their way back," Remus theorized.

"Maybe," Sirius said doubtfully. "It just seemed so real..."

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Buffy got out of bed quickly, realizing she had missed all her afternoon classes, and the first few minutes of dinner. Umbridge was going to have a fit.

'Stupid jet lag,' Buffy thought grumpily. She still hadn't gotten used to the huge time jump from California to England. She had survived on little sleep since arriving in London, due to her excitement, but it was starting to catch up to her.

Buffy hurried around the room, trying to keep her mind off the dream. Maybe it was prophetic. She's had a few of those before, and it did seem like it was the future, as he was much older than she had remembered. Buffy's heart sped up as she thought of her dark haired love, and how hot he still looked. 'Although, he's going to need to cut that hair.'

If it was prophetic, then that meant she would meet him at Hogwarts, but he couldn't possibly be staying here, could he? Not when the wizarding world thought he was a murderer. Buffy looked thoughtful for a moment. 'Unless Dumbledore knows he's innocent...' She dismissed this thought quickly. She knew that Dumbledore knew more than he let on, but if he knew Sirius was innocent, surely he'd prove his innocence. Right?

Buffy stopped at the mirror and fixed her dishevelled hair before leaving the room to catch the last half of dinner.

Buffy entered the great hall, where everyone stopped talking for a moment to stare at her before quietly conversing in whispers. Everyone wanted to know what the new professor was like and why she didn't show up for some of her afternoon classes.

At the head table, she sat down in her chair between Umbridge and Professor Dumbledore. Hem hem. "How nice of you to join us Professor," Umbridge said.

"Thanks," Buffy said cheekily.

Hem hem, Umbridge frowned. "Where were you this afternoon?"

"I wasn't hungry so I went upstairs to get something, and the next thing I know it was time for dinner," Buffy explained with a shrug.

"Were you hurt?" Umbridge said, assuming someone had attacked her.

"I fell asleep," Buffy clarified.

Umbridge scowled at the flippant girl. "I thought I told you that you were not to be late to class anymore," scolding her like she was a student.

"Well, I guess we're good then," Buffy said, pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice.

"I thought I made myself clear this morning when I said I would not tolerate lateness," Umbridge said, confused by her last statement.

"That's good," Buffy said. "But I wasn't late, I just didn't show up. There is a difference." She gave a small smile and could have sworn she heard a little snort come from Dumbledore, but dismissed it as she saw him conversing with McGonagall.

Hem hem. Umbridge couldn't believe this little girl had the gall to be sassy with her! Where was the dumb blonde from this morning? Apparently, it came and went. "Well, I won't tolerate your absence either," Umbridge said haughtily. "I'll be sure to let the Minister know about your performance on your first day."

"You do that," Buffy said, drinking from her cup.

Umbridge had nothing left to say.

McGonagall must have finished talking to Dumbledore because she leaned her strict face over to talk to Buffy. "Professor Fox, I have been informed that Neville Longbottom received a detention from you today. As he is in my house, I would like to know why you felt the need for such a large punishment for him on your first day."

Buffy looked over at McGonagall and eyed her for a minute before saying, "There's a lesson that needs to be learned."

McGonagall gave a small huff and continued, "And what lesson is that?"

"Not to be so disruptive in class," replied Buffy, coming up with the first thing she could.

"I'll admit that Neville is lacking a little in the control department, but since your class is only theory, I fail to see how Neville could be disruptive."

"I didn't say it was his lesson to learn," Buffy said.

McGonagall thought for a minute before she realized what Buffy was saying. "You can't give someone a detention for something they didn't even do! Albus!" she entreated the headmaster, but Umbridge spoke up first.

"On the contrary, her actions today in class were necessary. As High Inquisitor, I will allow the punishment to be carried out, and any future punishments she decides upon."

"My hands are tied," Dumbledore said calmly to McGonagall. Yes, he did believe that her punishment was unfair, but there was nothing he could do about it.

But, there was something about Professor Fox that had peaked his interest. She did not seem to be as, well, blonde, as she had this morning, and she even seemed to be egging Dolores Umbridge on. She was very flippant. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore unbelievingly, and then angrily stormed away to her quarters. The school was going to be taken over by the incompetent Fudge and Dumbledore wasn't going to fight it.

Buffy also stood up and excused herself from the table. It was creeping towards 6:30, and she wanted to talk to her friends before she had detention duty.

"But you didn't eat anything," Dumbledore protested. "You missed lunch and you barely ate anything for breakfast." For some reason, he was worried about the new professor. He knew he shouldn't like the Ministry employed official, but there was just something about her...

Buffy looked back towards the table and gave a small frown. "I'm not that hungry," she admitted and walked away. 


	5. Chapters 16 to 20

CHAPTER 16: DETENTION

Buffy walked briskly back to her room, desperately missing her friends. She liked the wizarding world and was happy to be back in it, but she didn't think she'd miss her friends this much already. They had been through so much together, both good and bad, and she guessed she took it for granted that they'd always be there. They were a few times when they weren't, like when she got kicked out of her own house, but there were circumstances...

She wasn't going to take lord over them, saying that she had been right, that they shouldn't have kicked her out; however, up until not too long ago, Buffy thought that that went without saying.

Thinking back to the battle with The First, Buffy was reminded of all the potential slayers Willow had activated into real slayers. She honestly had no idea what happened to them all; she had been in such a rush to get to England that she forgot about the slayer issue. It was something she was going to have to talk to Giles about.

Upon reaching her room, Buffy walked straight to the fireplace and decided that maybe a portkey would be best. People could be watching the floo network, and she didn't want anyone to know what she was up to.

Pulling out the books she had brought, Buffy looked up the spell to create a portkey, and quickly read over the incantation. She grabbed a spare piece of parchment, aimed her wand, thought about her destination, and said "portus."

The paper turned blue, causing Buffy to lift an eyebrow, and began to tremble slightly, causing Buffy to step back warily. Then the parchment settled down and returned back to normal.

'Is that supposed to happen?' Buffy thought. She shrugged and picked up the parchment. If it didn't work, she wouldn't go anywhere, no big deal.

As soon as she touched it, she felt a tug behind her navel and only had a brief second for her soft cry of triumph to escape before she disappeared from her room.

She landed unsteadily on the grass outside of her friends' flat, but managed to stay upright thanks to her slayer reflexes. 'Not exactly where I wanted to be, but close enough,' Buffy thought. Next time she'd have to be a little more specific, say the kitchen for instance.

She quickly closed the gap between the door and her current location, all the while getting more excited to see her friends. What if she lost them one day? What would she do?

These types of thoughts were not new to the slayer, but the issue with James, Sirius, and Remus just renewed her fears. They were her friends, come hell or high water, and she wasn't going to let anything happen to them. She couldn't save James, but she was not going to let anyone else die.

She knocked and opened the door, announcing her presence. "Guys? It's me. Thought I'd stop by for a little while."

The gang all came out from the bedroom on the far right, which when open revealed the bedroom covered in books and research materials. "Getting down and dirty, huh?" Buffy joked.

Nobody really heard her, as they were all excited to hear about her first day. Sitting down in the small living room, Buffy shared with them a quick run-through of the day's events.

"So your nephew has a little bit of an attitude problem?" Xander asked after listening patiently, and waiting while Willow and Giles asked the inquiring questions.

Buffy grimaced slightly, remembering her first encounter with her remaining family. "Yeah, we're going to have to work on that."

"I still can't believe you gave someone else a detention. Picking favourites already?" Xander joked.

"I can't believe you gave anyone detention. I thought you'd be more sympathetic after having to sit through so many detentions yourself," Willow said.

"Those were pointless detentions," Buffy said carelessly. "So, enough about my day, how was yours?"

The group glanced at each other for a moment before looking back at Buffy. Giles took off his glasses and Willow walked into the bedroom she had come out of several minutes before.

"We've been researching," Anya said sullenly. "All day."

"I'm fairly certain we've found the cause for why we seem to be five years behind the rest of the world," Giles said, causing Buffy's eyes to widen in anticipation.

"And," she prompted impatiently. Willow walked back into the living room carrying a book in her arms, presumably one she picked up in the bedroom.

"Do you remember these guys?" Willow asked, placing the book open in front of her friend.

Buffy frowned as she tried to place the demon. "Yeah," Buffy said, remembering. "These were those demons that Warren..." Buffy stumbled over the name, glancing ever so slightly at Willow before continuing, "...um, made attack me and blame me for his ex's death."

"Yes, the Rwasundi," Giles said. "In all the rush and excitement that had been going on, I failed to read further into the matter, which it has become apparent that I should have."

"I'm not following you," Buffy said.

"The Rwasundi are not from this dimension, and they're presence causes a temporal disturbance, inducing hallucinations," Giles started.

"And a slightly tingling scalp," Anya interrupted from her spot on the couch.

"Right, we've been through this before," Buffy said confused.

"Remember Halloween? The fear demon?" Xander spoke up.

Buffy's eyes went wide as she remembered the missed description of the demon reading 'actual size'. "What did you miss?" she asked Giles.

"It seems that their presence in our dimension for a few seconds causes the hallucinations, but the longer they stay, the more damage that occurs. How long do you think you fought them, Buffy?"

"Five minutes maybe," Buffy shrugged, unsure. "I can't remember exactly."

"That's what I thought," Giles said. "The demons create a localized temporal disturbance, and the area affected ranges proportionally to the amount of demons. In our case, the three demons, combined with the energy of the Hellmouth, caused the entire town of Sunnydale to be encased in the temporal disturbance.

"For each minute the demons stay in this dimension, a year passes in the area outside of the disturbance. Time slows down with respect to the outside world; since we are all still moving at the same time with respect to each other, we would not notice the difference. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this correctly," Giles said as he looked at his confused slayer.

"No, I think I get it," Buffy said thoughtfully. "We didn't notice the change in speed because we were all going the same speed. If Willow was to start walking extremely slow, while all of us could walk regularly, then we would be at different speeds, and so the difference would be noticeable. But, if we were all going the same speed, then we wouldn't be able to tell a difference," Buffy said slowly.

"Right," Giles said.

"Wow, Buffy," Xander said. "I'm impressed."

"Well, I am living at a school now," Buffy joked.

"You practically lived in the library at school, but that didn't seem to help much," Willow said.

"Yeah, but Hogwarts is magical," Buffy said with a grin.

"What I don't get is how no one else in Sunnydale noticed anything," Anya said. "How can you just miss five years of your life? One day you wake up and you're five years in the future?"

"Ahn," Xander said, "It's Sunnydale. Denial is their mascot, and theme song. Plus, we didn't notice anything."

"Well, that's because we were busy," Anya said defensively. "We didn't have much down time to look at the date or anything. After those demon thingies, Warren tried to kill Buffy, Willow went evil, the world almost ended, and then the First started poking around killing everyone. It all happened so quickly."

"If you think about it, we didn't actually lose five years of our lives," Willow said thoughtfully. She had learned long ago to tune out most of what Anya said. "I mean, we didn't get any older, it's just that everyone else did. It's weird."

Everyone silently contemplated everything before Xander said, "What in our life isn't weird? I mean, it would be weird if nothing was weird."

"That's true," Buffy said. "I wonder what we would do if we were normal." At one point in her life, Buffy longed to be normal, but now she remembered that she was a witch, and if she ever gave up being the Slayer, she'd still never be normal.

"What's normal anyway?" Xander asked. "I mean, Anya's an ex-ex-vengeance demon, Willow's a super-powerful wicca, Giles is a watcher, and you're a slayer and a witch. And I'm a Cyclops. I say normal is overrated."

"Speaking of slayers, whatever happened to the rest of the slayers? I kind of forgot with all the memories coming back," Buffy said.

"Well, Faith took them all back to Angel's place for the time being. Since they got a nice new law agency, they gave us the hotel to use as we see fit," Giles said.

"It's going to be our base of operations," Xander said.

"Faith is going to be the girls' trainer. One of them at least," Willow said. "Kennedy's going to help too, but she has a little power issue she has to get over. The rest of the old potentials are using Wolfram and Hart's connections in order to locate slayers around the world. A new watcher program is being devised by Wesley and we're getting help hiring new employees and what not."

"Why do I think you guys have talked to them recently?" Buffy asked.

"We called to check up on them today. They're doing really well," Willow admitted.

"I installed a new phone," Xander said, indicating the kitchen before Buffy could ask. "Willow helped magic things along a bit."

"You guys have been busy, haven't you?" Buffy said, impressed.

"And tomorrow's going to be even busier," Xander said.

"What's tomorrow?" Buffy asked confused.

"Tomorrow's when we catch up on all the happenings in the last five years. Think of all the things we've missed! All the comic books, video games, TV shows, and movies! My jokes are all old and dated!" Xander complained.

"You're going to be late for detention if you don't hurry up," Giles interrupted, looking at his watch.

Buffy jumped up and raced to hug everyone goodbye. The last thing she needed was to be late to detention; who knows what Umbridge would do to Neville.

Quickly turning the parchment she had used before back into a portkey, she travelled back to Hogwarts, landing on top of her bed. Running into the living area, she saw Celsia sitting on the back of a chair, preening her feathers.

"You found me, good." Buffy said, "But I've got to run. I'll see you in a bit."

Scrambling out of her quarters, Buffy rushed down to her office, which she had found after her second class earlier that morning. Luckily, she was actually a couple of minutes early and Neville hadn't shown up yet.

Buffy walked into her office and sat down behind her desk, waiting for the young man to arrive. She didn't have to wait long before a timid knock came from her door.

Buffy stood and opened the door wide, allowing Neville ample room to enter; she had long since stopped answering, "Come in."

Neville was trembling slightly while he slowly walked into the room. He had heard stories about a quill that carved into your hand while you wrote. He didn't know if he could stand the pain.

"Have a seat," Buffy said, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. She was just about to close the door when Professor Umbridge appeared in the doorway. Inside, Buffy cringed. 'What could she want now?' 

"Professor!" Buffy exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?"

Hem hem. Umbridge cleared her throat as she looked at the still trembling Neville and the overly cheerful blonde girl. "I thought you might be interested in this," Umbridge said, handing her a quill.

"You want him to write lines?" Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow, not noticing that Neville suddenly went pale.

"Yes. You'll find it very effective in getting your point across," Umbridge replied.

"Writing something over and over again can be very tedious," Buffy said, remembering one time in detention she had to copy lines out of the dictionary; certain words like 'responsibility', 'failure', and 'expulsion'. That had been after the Parent Teacher meeting had gone awry; Snyder wasn't too happy.

"It's hard to forget something that you write repeatedly," Umbridge said with a cruel little smile.

"Well, thanks," Buffy said, taking the quill. "I'll be sure to put it to good use."

"And when you decide that the Potter boy needs detention, don't hesitate to make him write. He's gotten better at it, but he still has a long way to go before the message really sinks in."

Buffy started to get a little angry that Umbridge had obviously given Harry plenty of detentions already. It was hardly a month into school! "I will, thanks again," Buffy said dismissively. "Goodnight," Buffy said, closing the door.

She turned around and sat in the chair behind her desk, facing a faint-looking Neville. "Are you alright?" Buffy asked, concerned.

Neville managed a weak nod, but said nothing.

Buffy twirled the quill in her hands contemplatively, letting the silence grow as she studied Neville.

"Do you know why you're here?" Buffy asked suddenly, startling Neville and making him jump a little.

Neville started to shake his head, before changing his mind and answering in the affirmative. "I'm here because of Harry."

Buffy kept quiet for another minute. "Are you friends with Harry?"

"Y... yes," Neville said. "I think so."

"You don't know for sure?" Buffy asked, curious.

"Well, I like him," Neville said, more calmly. He was still cautious of her and what she was going to make him do, and he was eying that quill carefully, but she was so relaxed and calm that he felt himself calm down a bit.

"Do you think Harry likes you?"

"I hope so," Neville said. "I mean... yes, I think he does. It's just, he's best friends with Ron and Hermione. I'd be just like a fourth wheel."

"Do you have your own little group like Harry does?"

"N... no. Not really," Neville said, getting a little embarrassed and uncomfortable with the line of questioning.

"Do you know why that is?" Buffy asked. Before he could answer, she quickly changed the subject. "What is your favourite class?"

Neville almost sighed in relief as he answered, "Herbology."

"Why do you like it?"

"I guess it's always been something that interested me, and it's the only thing I'm good at. There are so many different kind of plants, each with their own adaptabilities, uses, and defences."

"What class is your least favourite?"

"Potions," Neville answered immediately with a grimace.

"Really?" Buffy asked, mildly surprised. She had been expecting that answer, but since his favourite class was Herbology, she found it interesting. "Herbology and Potions go really well together, as lots of the potions contain many different plants."

"I'm just not good at it. There are too many steps, and I'm so clumsy and I always mess something up, or put something in too early, or mix something wrong..." Neville rambled on nervously.

"Why don't you just slow down and take it one step at a time?" Buffy asked.

Neville was silent for a moment, as if arguing with himself, before he said quietly, "It's Professor Snape."

Buffy's Slayer hearing allowed her to catch what Neville had mumbled, but she wanted him to repeat it anyway. "I'm sorry?"

"It's Professor Snape," Neville said with more volume. "My boggart turns into Professor Snape," Neville hinted.

Buffy's mind quickly searched for the familiar sounding term boggart. A little light bulb went off in her head as she correctly recalled that a boggart would turn into the thing one fears the most.

"You're afraid of Severus?" Buffy asked, remembering the younger Severus of her school years. She could only imagine that he had gotten worse. How he became a professor, she had no idea. "He can be a little intimidating," Buffy agreed.

"Everything I do is wrong, even before I do it," Neville said, warming up a little more, now that Professor Fox seemed to be on his side.

Buffy frowned as she heard Neville continue on about what Snape does in class. When he finished, slightly embarrassed at his unusual outburst, Buffy put the quill down on her desk and leaned forward.

"Are you trustworthy?" Buffy asked, looking into his eyes.

"I'd like to think so," Neville gulped.

Buffy picked up her wand and pointed it overhead, casting a silencing charm over the room. Then she locked the door.

Neville was getting more nervous; was she going to have to silence his screams of help? "I don't want to write lines," Neville said. "I'd rather clean the trophy room for you, without magic," he added.

Buffy frowned at him. She knew how big the trophy room was, having had to clean it a couple of times herself, and she couldn't see why he would rather do that then write lines. It was tedious and boring, but it didn't hurt. Unless...

"Why don't you want to write lines?" Buffy asked him.

"I just... I just don't want to," Neville said meekly.

"I won't make you write lines if you tell me why you don't want to."

"Because the quill hurts!" Neville blurted. "I've heard about that quill, and I don't want to be carving into my skin!"

"What?" Buffy said incredibly, looking at the innocent looking quill on her desk. She should have known Umbridge was up to something in the way she insisted on using that quill, but she just dismissed it. She figured Umbridge didn't know she had her own quill; which actually seems pretty ridiculous now that she thought about it.

"I know, I'm not brave, I shouldn't be in Gryffindor, I should be in Hufflepuff, but I don't want to write lines," Neville rambled.

Buffy looked back at Neville, the quill temporarily forgotten. "Why would you think you shouldn't be in Gryffindor?"

"I'm not brave, or daring, or anything that fits a Gryffindor," Neville said miserably. "Everyone says so."

"Who's everyone?" Buffy asked irked.

"Well, Malfoy in particular, but I know everyone thinks it."

"Malfoy?" Buffy asked surprised. "Lucius' son?"

"Yes," Neville said, confused as to why she didn't know that. Everyone knew that.

"Well, if he's anything like his father, which I'm sure he is, then what are you doing listening to him? The sorting hat put you in Gryffindor for a reason. It can see inside you, it can see things that other people might miss; things that you might miss yourself if you're not looking for them.

"And as for what the other people think, for one, who cares? Don't worry about what they think. Just be yourself, no restrictions. If they like you for you, then you're all set, if not, then you don't need to be hanging out with people like them. I doubt that everybody thinks you don't belong in Gryffindor. I was psychic for a while, and I must say that you may think you know what someone is thinking, but ninety nine point nine percent of the time, you're so completely wrong.

"Oh, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that I was psychic. It was a demon thingy."

Neville sat in astonishment. He never would have expected this from his new professor.

"About this quill," Buffy said, picking it back up. She reached for a piece of parchment and drew a line straight down the paper, starting in surprise when she felt an invisible knife cut into the skin on the top of her right hand. Just as soon as she felt it, the cut and blood disappeared, leaving no trace behind.

Buffy looked up at Neville incredulously. "She actually used this on people?" Buffy asked, while Neville merely nodded. "She actually used this on Harry?" 'Oh, that toad is going to pay,' Buffy thought.

She was about to go storming off after Umbridge, when Neville's words reminded her that she was here for another reason. She could deal with Umbridge later, in a more practical manner.

"I don't have to write lines now, right?" Neville asked hopefully.

"No, no one will be writing lines anytime soon," Buffy said, breaking the quill in half, much to Neville's amazement.

"Who are you?"

Buffy took a deep breath before answering. "Sometimes I don't even know," Buffy admitted. "I'm in the process of figuring that out. When I do, I'll let you know."

Neville just looked confused.

"The most important thing right now, is that you don't tell anyone anything about me, do you understand? If you're friends ask, which I'm sure they will, because they care about you, just tell them that you had to write lines and that you hate me. Understand?"

Neville still looked confused, but he nodded his head in agreement.

"Good. Now we can get onto more practical matters. Such as the real reason you have detention tonight," Buffy said. "Amazingly enough, I didn't randomly pick you out of the class. I heard some people talking about you in the hall, about Potions," Buffy clarified when she saw Neville's face drop a little, "and I thought we could help each other.

"Severus can be a real pain in the ass, I'm not denying that," Buffy said, causing a small grin to appear on Neville's face. "You just can't let him bother you. If he says something to you, so what? If he takes points away, so what? He's not going to kill you, he's just trying to intimidate you so that you'll mess up and he can have a good laugh. Just ignore it. If you let him bother you, he'll bother you. If you don't let him bother you, he won't. He can try, but it won't do any good. Your reactions just egg him on, so stop reacting."

"But it's hard. And I'm not good at Potions anyway; I've blown up or melted my cauldron over a dozen times!" Neville said.

"Well, hopefully I can help you with that," Buffy said. "Can you cook?"

"Pardon?" Neville asked, surprised in the quick shift in topic.

"Can you cook? Have you ever made food before? The muggle way, I mean," Buffy clarified.

"No, my grandmother won't let me near anything in our kitchen. I'm very forgetful and clumsy. I'd wreck the place."

"Have you ever cooked with your mom before? My mom used to let me be her little helper, even though I didn't actually do anything," Buffy said. She stopped when she noticed that Neville's face got sad and closed off.

"No," Neville said.

Buffy recognized that look; she had worn one similar for quite a while after her mother had been sick. She then recalled that he had said his grandmother had forbid him from entering the kitchen, not his mother.

"Neville," She prompted carefully, wanting him to open up a little. "Do you want to talk about it? It can help." When he didn't answer she continued, "When my mom," Buffy stopped slightly as she got caught on the word mom. She had thought of Joyce as her mom for so many years, and she was. Joyce would never replace her biological mom, but she would never be thought of as less than a mother. She had taken care of her like a daughter for about six years.

"My mom got a brain tumour and had to have surgery," Buffy continued. "She got through the surgery well, and everyone thought she was going to be okay. But one day I came home and found her on the couch. She wasn't moving. She had an aneurysm due to the surgery and died; it was so unexpected. I never even got to say goodbye." Buffy was thinking not only of Joyce, but also of her mom and dad and brother. She had never said goodbye.

"My parents are at St. Mungo's," Neville said, opening up to the blonde who opened up to him. He felt a connection of sorts with her; she might understand how he felt in a way that not many people did.

"A Death Eater used the Cruciatus Curse on them so long, trying to get information, that they went crazy. I never knew them for who they really were, and every time I see them, they have no idea who I am."

"I didn't know the Cruciatus could make you go mad," Buffy said, bewildered.

"If you're held under long enough," Neville said bitterly.

"Before the surgery, my mom was going crazy, saying things that didn't make sense, talking to us as if we were someone else. Then my friend went crazy for a while; it broke my other friend's heart. I know what it's like," Buffy said quietly. "They might not show it," Buffy said, "but I know that some part of them recognizes you and are proud of who you have become."

Neville was shocked. He had finally met someone who could somewhat understand how he was feeling, and what it was like. She didn't pity him; that's what he hated the most. People just didn't understand, that's why he never told anyone.

"Enough of this sappy, corny soap opera talk," Buffy said, standing up. "We've got work to do." With a couple of waves of her arm, and a few well placed spells, she had transfigured a part of her office into a muggle kitchen. All that studying on Sunday had paid off, but Buffy felt that there was something more going on. She was remembering spells too easily and getting them to work a little too nicely after having been away for so long, and after not finishing school. Maybe it was her slayer power.

"Wow," was all Neville could manage.

"Once upon a time, I used to be fairly good at Potions; amazingly enough, I am a horrible cook. Two wrongs might not make a right, but hopefully two bad cooks will make a great batch of cookies. What do you say?"

"Wouldn't two bad cooks just burn the kitchen down faster?" Neville asked.

"If you look at it that way!" Buffy said with fake exasperation. "It's all about attitude, now let's get going."

They walked over to the small kitchen corner and lifted the lid of the mixer. "Now what's first?" Buffy asked.

"You're asking me?" Neville squeaked.

"A recipe, we need a recipe," Buffy said. "And a recipe is very similar to a potion's assignment." Buffy opened the cupboard above her head and pulled out a small cookbook and flipped through it to find a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. "A recipe is just a list of ingredients we'll need, and the steps we need to take in order to have a finished product. Just take things one at a time.

"What should we do first?" Buffy asked, setting the recipe in front of Neville.

"Um... set out the ingredients?" Neville said timidly.

"Correct! We must make sure we have all the ingredients, because if you're in the middle of it and find out you've run out of eggs, well, bad things could happen. And if you need to substitute, find out what the correct substitutions are beforehand, otherwise, things could explode."

Neville nodded his head, remembering how many times his cauldron had exploded. "But what if I forget what I've done or not done? I'm horrible at remembering."

"Well, just write down everything you've done as soon as you've done it, or at least check it off." Neville nodded gratefully; he had never thought of that!

One by one, they set out the ingredients that they needed to create the cookies, Neville marking beside each item they had. Buffy actually had to transfigure an egg, which she warned Neville not to do in Potions. Who knew what could happen?

"Next, preheat the oven." Buffy fiddled with the buttons for a while before turning to Neville desperately. "Do you know how to do that?"

Neville shook his head with wide eyes. They were going to blow up the school; he could see it now.

"Okay, I'll figure it out." She prodded the buttons a little more, but a beeping sound emitted from someplace. "Oops," Buffy said. The beeping continued, with no sign of letting up anytime soon. It was starting to get annoying. Buffy didn't like to be annoyed.

She started pounding on all the buttons, trying to get the screeching sound to stop. Finally, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at the stove, and muttered something incoherently.

A flash of yellow light emitted from the wand, struck the oven, and was absorbed inside. For a second, there was blissful silence, as the beeping stopped. But then...

BOOM!

The oven exploded, with flames dancing around the edge and smoke billowing from the door. Buffy and Neville stood covered in soot not too far from the small explosion.

"Did I do that?" Buffy asked, remembering her Steve Urkel from Family Matters.

Neville could only nod in astonishment. 'I knew this was going to happen!'

Buffy once again lifted her wand, causing Neville to flinch slightly. "Oh, don't worry," Buffy said. "I'll fix it." Water shot out of her wand, much to Neville's relief, quenching the fire. The smoke eventually got swept away but they were still covered in soot. The oven was ruined.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" Buffy asked.

"Are you crazy?" Neville asked. "You just blew up the oven!" He had never seen a professor screw up before, and he was shocked.

"I can make a new one," Buffy said. With a few waves of her wand, the oven was as good as new.

"But you don't even know how to work it. You might blow it up again."

"Well, we're not going to get any better unless we work at this, are we?" Buffy asked.

"No," Neville said reluctantly. "At least I'm not the only one who blows things up."

Buffy cracked a small smile as she thought of all the things she had blown up, or burnt down, or caused to sink into the earth and disappear for forever.

"Alright, let me try this time," Neville bravely stepped up to the oven and started pressing different buttons.

The two of them were up until 1:00 in the morning before they were able to successfully create a batch of cookies that actually turned out really well. They had gone through many batches, several more explosions, and a few small fires.

The first time they turned on the mixer with the dry ingredients, they turned it on too high, causing the flour to spray everywhere and cover their corner of the room, and themselves, with a fine layer of white powder. Eventually they got it right; eventually the cookies were edible.

It wasn't until 1:15 that Neville finally made it back to his bed, tired and sore, but happy. He never thought he'd see the day when he was actually happy he got detention.

Unknown to him, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had stayed up as late as they could, worried about their friend and the treatment he might have received at the hands of the new professor. Unfortunately, they fell asleep around 12:30, exhaustion of the first day back overcoming them. 

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CHAPTER 17: MEETINGS

The next morning, Dean was kind enough to wake Neville before going down to breakfast. "How was detention?" he asked carefully.

"Awful," Neville said simply, remembering (amazingly enough) that he was supposed to have had a horrible time. He wasn't exactly sure who Professor Fox was, but she definitely wasn't as bad as everyone believed. And she was loads better than Umbridge!

"Sorry, mate," Dean grimaced. "Did you have to write lines?"

"Yeah," Neville said, rubbing his hand believably. Neville was really starting to warm up to the idea. This time, he was the one with the secret; he was the one that knew something the rest of them didn't. It made him feel superior in a way; not cocky, just more confident. For Neville, the boy that lacked all confidence, this was a major development.

"Well, we don't see her today, so there's no way you'll get it again. Not that you did anything last time. That was so unfair!" Dean said, waiting for Neville to get dressed before they went to breakfast together.

Walking down to the common room, the two spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione all sprawled on the couch and chairs by the fireplace, asleep.

"Rise and shine boys and girl," Dean called out, brandishing his wand with a smile.

The trio awoke from their deep slumber and Harry, with his fast reflexes, was able to dodge the feather pillows headed his way, while Ron and Hermione got battered.

"Hey!" Ron cried out. "What was that for?"

"I thought cold water might be a little too mean, and I had to get you up somehow," Dean answered.

"I think next time a little shake will suffice," Hermione said, a little snappishly.

"Whoa," Dean said, backing up a step. "Next time I'll let you wake up on your own."

"Sorry," Hermione apologized. "I'm just a little tired. We were up late waiting for... Neville," Hermione finished, realizing that Neville was right beside Dean.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked, also seeing Neville.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Neville said, slightly puzzled at everyone's reactions. Maybe they really did care for him more than he thought...

"She made him write lines," Dean said.

Hermione let out a little gasp, while Harry and Ron scowled. Hermione rushed over and took up Neville's hand to inspect it.

"Well, it doesn't look too bad. There's a potion I can make up for you if it still hurts," Hermione offered.

"Er, no thanks," Neville said. He was about to add something else when Ron's stomach growled loudly.

"Sorry," Ron said. "Can we continue this after breakfast? I'm starved." Everyone laughed slightly, the tension broken, and they headed out to the Great Hall, each occupied by their own thoughts of what to do about their lack of Defence lessons. The DA was about to form... 

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Sirius sat in yet another room in his old house, surrounded by dusty, and in some cases decrepit, boxes and trunks, whose contents were covering the floor. He couldn't sleep the previous night, and instead had occupied his time by looking for his personal things.

Everything in his old apartment must have been stashed somewhere in the house; they wouldn't have thrown it all away when he was trucked to Azkaban, would they?

Frustrated with yet another useless box filled with his mother's moth-eaten clothes, Sirius tossed the relatively light box across the room, knocking over the tower of brown packing boxes, causing several to bust open upon hitting the floor.

Sirius groaned tiredly as he looked at the new mess he had just made; as if the house didn't have enough he had to clean up already!

He made his way over to the corner of the room, stepping over the boxes as he went. As he bent down to set an overturned trunk upright, a flash of silver caught his eye. He left the trunk and headed over to another pile of mess.

Lifting up the articles covering the silver object, Sirius revealed a knight's helmet. He almost jumped in joy at finally finding something. It was the helmet he and James had once sent to Buffy while they were at Hogwarts and she was stuck at home. He couldn't believe it was here! After Buffy had died, James gave the helmet to Sirius, and Sirius had kept it as a tribute to his lost love.

Sirius was actually surprised it was never returned to Hogwarts; Dumbledore was sure to have known that was where it was from, although he was also sure to have known it was them that had taken it in the first place.

Picking up the helmet, Sirius looked back at the pile of boxes from which that one had fallen. He lifted off the next one, and was surprised by a familiar glimpse of black that showed from behind the tower.

"It can't be," Sirius muttered to himself as he stepped forward to peer over the high wall. This time he did jump for joy, excited at seeing his old motorcycle. He wheeled it out joyfully, running his hand over its dull surface. This would be one thing he would be more than happy to clean up.

Sirius pulled the bike out of the room and set it, and the helmet, out into the hall. He had to find something else first.

With renewed vigour, Sirius dug through boxes, until he finally found the one that he was looking for. Sirius sat down on the dusty floor, a broken picture frame held gently between his hands. A bubbly blonde was wrapped up comfortably in younger Sirius' arms, as they lay on the coach. Lily had taken the picture of them secretly and had presented it to them both as a six-month anniversary gift.

That was before everything had gone to hell and people had disappeared from their lives forever. Sirius closed his eyes as he remembered the good times between the six crazy Gryffindors. Twelve years in Azkaban had changed him, but he found that the more he remembered from happier days, the less haunted he felt by the mere mention of Dementors.

It was ironic that happy memories were the one thing that could overcome the effects of the Dementors, but it was the one thing that it was impossible to come up with around them.

Exhaustion finally overcoming the scraggly man, the last thought he had was that he was going to have to go through the rest of this with Remus. 

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Buffy woke up and climbed out of bed. Years of living as a slayer had made it difficult for her to stay asleep for long periods of time, much to her chagrin; she would have loved to stay in bed until two one day.

Getting dressed, she greeted Celsia and was granted a few uplifting notes. Buffy walked down to her classroom feeling good about the night before. Hopefully, Neville would benefit from their 'detention'; the poor boy only needed a little guidance and self-confidence.

Buffy practically bounced through the door, only to have her good mood get shoved down by the anger and rage that arose from the person sitting, yet again, behind her desk. Buffy's eyes flashed golden for a millisecond, before she took a deep breathe to calm down.

"Good morning, Professor," Umbridge greeted with a sour look on her face. "Did detention go well for you yesterday?"

Buffy was about to do something she would probably have regretted, but was interrupted by a group of Slytherins entering the classroom. "It went great," Buffy forced herself to say, carefully controlling her emotions and facial expressions. "Unfortunately, the quill you lent me broke before I could even use it! Flimsy little thing it was," Buffy said, turning away from Umbridge's shocked and outraged look, picking up the role.

The last students had strolled into the classroom while Buffy was talking to Umbridge. Buffy started calling out names on the list, keeping her eyes trained on the parchment in order to keep her temper calm. There was no use getting all worked up in front of the students, Slytherins especially; only bad things could come of losing her temper, and inevitably showing her strength.

"Malfoy, Draco," Buffy called out before quickly realizing this was Lucius' son, the one that Neville had basically said was the school's bully. She lifted her eyes slightly to find the son of the man she had hated at school.

"Here," a voice from the back called out, bored.

Buffy's eyes landed on Malfoy, and she let out a soft, surprised gasp. She didn't know how she had missed the kid earlier; not only did he look an awful lot like his father, but his hair was stood out amazingly well.

"Is there a problem?" Malfoy asked, intrigued at the new professor's behaviour. He had thought that she was a ministry official, and he had to have known his father, and therefore him; there was no need to be surprised.

Buffy's emotions were already running crazy thanks to Umbridge, and she wasn't prepared to see a person that looked like a replica of a dead friend. A friend that had sacrificed his life to save her, her friends, and the world, a friend she thought she'd never see again.

"Professor?" Malfoy drawled with a slight smirk.

Buffy tried to clear her throat and rein back her emotions. He even had the same cocky accent! "I'm sorry," Buffy apologized quickly. "I wasn't prepared for a Billy Idol wannabe in the class, that's all."

In a class full of pureblood Slytherins, no one got the reference, but they were smart enough to know that it was an insult. No one could believe that a professor would insult a Malfoy, let alone a ministry employed official. His family was supposed to have the power and connections to control the ministry, even though it was never said outright, it was just accepted.

"Excuse me," Malfoy interrupted coldly as Buffy continued on down the role.

Buffy looked up slowly, amazed at the boy's nerve. Obviously he had the same attitude problem as Spike as well. "I'm sorry?" Buffy asked.

"What did you say about me?" Malfoy clarified.

"I said you were a Billy Idol wannabe," Buffy repeated. On his confused and outraged look, Buffy continued. "You know, Billy Idol. The famous muggle rock star?"

The class became deathly quiet as they all took in what she had just said. A professor had dared to compare a Slytherin, a Malfoy at that, to a muggle. It was like the worst sin ever committed.

Malfoy was beyond outraged and could barely find the words to respond to her. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Excuse me?" Buffy said, her own outrage coming to the surface. "I am the professor of this class, and I will not tolerate your attitude. Do you understand?"

"I think you're the one that doesn't understand," Draco sneered. "Do you have any idea who my father is?"

"Lucius? Yeah, I know him, and if you think he's going to help you, you're sadly mistaken."

"So who'd you shag to get the job? You obviously don't have the qualifications for it," Draco said, changing the subject and trying to get under her skin in some way. She wouldn't get away with treating him like this.

"Detention. Tonight, 8:00 in my office," Buffy fumed.

"I didn't do anything," Draco snarled.

"You opened your mouth. That's offensive enough as it is, without having to listen to the words that spew from it."

"I'm sure the High Inquisitor won't approve of my detention," Draco said, appealing to the person he thought would get him out of this mess. He was not going to go to detention. Umbridge respected him like he should be respected; some blonde wasn't going to ruin his reign here.

"I don't need the High Inquisitor's permission to give you detention," Buffy said before Umbridge could respond. "Since you've obviously failed to notice, and refuse to listen, I'll tell you one more time. I'm the professor of this class and I will damn well do what I please and there's nothing you can do about it but sit down and shut up. Got it?"

Draco was too enraged, and shocked, that he couldn't say anything for a moment. But he paused for too long, and Buffy took that as a yes.

"Good. Now get the hell out of my class." Buffy walked over to the door and opened it, staring at Draco expectantly. When he didn't move she took out her wand and said, "Do you need some help?"

"Don't think for a second that you're going to get away with this," Draco said unbelievably, still not moving.

"Fine," Buffy said. She muttered a spell, making Draco zoom across the room, through the door, and slam into the wall across from the classroom. Buffy stood in the doorway looking down at Draco. "I don't want you back in my class. Is that understood? Find another course to take, because Defence Against the Dark Arts will no longer be on your schedule. Have a nice day!" she finished with a bright smile and slammed the door in his face. All that rage at Umbridge she had building up was let loose, and it felt good.

Draco stood staring at the closed door in shock. She couldn't kick him out of class; she didn't have the power. He had to admit, she didn't seem to be as much of a pushover as he first thought, but this was ridiculous. First, he was going to write a letter to his father, and then he was going to go directly to Professor Snape.

As he turned around, intent on his new mission, the door opened again, and a smirk came over Draco's face. He was right, Umbridge was going to show the stupid blonde who was boss around here. That line of thought didn't last long, as his books slammed into the back of his head and the door slammed shut again.

Her life was going to be over. Especially with the return of the Dark Lord. She didn't have any idea who she was messing with... 

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The entire class was silent. No one said a thing and no one moved a muscle.

That lasted about a minute before the students and High Inquisitor overcame the shock of what Professor Fox just did, and the room exploded in noise.

"Class is dismissed," Buffy said, yelling over the noise. "Obviously no one can concentrate today, so what's the point of even trying?" When no one made a move to leave the room, Buffy yelled again. "Class is over! If you don't leave now, you'll all have detention tonight. Now go!" Finally, people were so outraged that they just left the room in search of someone more understanding, namely Snape, their head of house.

"Do you have any idea what you just did?" Umbridge hissed after everyone was gone. "That was Lucius Malfoy's son. Lucius is a prominent member of the wizarding community and contributes lots of money to the Ministry. The minister is not going to be furious. You've just made a powerful enemy. I suggest you apologize, tell him it was just a joke, and beg for forgiveness. Then maybe, maybe, you'll live to see another sunrise."

"Over dramatic much?" Buffy said flippantly. "He was behaving inappropriately in my class and was questioning my authority. He deserved any punishment he got." Buffy hadn't gone patrolling in so long, and all that pent up energy and repressed anger at Umbridge had just surged out. She didn't realize that she could get that mad at someone, but he had kept saying the wrong things, thinking he was better than everyone else. He had to learn a lesson. "Besides, I don't beg."

"It is Draco Malfoy!" Umbridge practically screamed.

"I know," Buffy said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I'm going to inform the Minister of your foolish behaviour immediately. Hopefully I can let him know before Lucius finds out. I must say I won't be too disappointed with your removal from the school." With that said, Umbridge left the classroom, leaving Buffy all alone.

Buffy just looked around her happily and sighed. "That felt so good!" she said with a smile. Her good mood wasn't even ruined by the fact that her identity was in trouble. She'd figure some way to smooth the whole thing over. No big deal... 

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"You foolish child!" Snape snarled as the cauldron of a fourth year Hufflepuff exploded, covering himself in a blue solution, which began to cause his skin to turn yellow and flaky. He cleaned up the mess with a wave of his wand and quick "Evanesco." "Take him to the hospital wing," he ordered a fourth year Gryffindor, "But don't touch him!"

Ginny watched quietly as two quickly walked out the door and up the stairs. She hoped he would be okay; the potion wasn't very safe.

Just as Snape was about to rant again and take points off of the next person that breathed, the door slammed open and an enraged Draco Malfoy stepped into the dungeon.

Snape took a small breath to calm himself down before talking to the son of his 'fellow' Deatheater. "Aren't you supposed to be in class, Mr. Malfoy?"

"At the moment I don't have a class, sir," Malfoy said, just barely restraining himself.

Ginny was very interested in what was going on. She had never seen Malfoy look this furious, and she had no idea what he meant by his last statement, but it was obviously something very important. She was going to find out what was going on; anything that made Malfoy mad was worth celebrating.

"May I talk to you privately, please? It's important."

Snape bowed his head in assent, and indicated the door behind him. Malfoy walked furiously over to his office and Snape followed behind him, not saying a word to the rest of the class. Obviously, something very important had happened.

Once the door shut, all the whispered quietly, so as not to be heard by Snape, about what had happened. "Quiet!" Ginny whispered. She took out an Extendable Ear out of her bag; one never knew when they would come in handy. The ear her brothers invented extended until it was by the door the two Slytherins were behind, and everyone quietly listened.

"Professor Fox kicked Malfoy out of class!" Ginny informed the class amazed. "He's not allowed to come back!"

The class erupted in whispers again, and Ginny was trying to get them all to quiet down so that she could hear what else was saying, when she heard a loud noise coming from outside the door. She quickly pulled the ear back and hide it in her bag, while the rest of the class went back to work. The loud sound was footsteps pounding down the stairs, and the door flew open, emitting what looked like the entire class of fifth year Slytherins. Professor Fox couldn't have kicked out the entire class, could she?

Snape also heard the loud noise and opened his door to investigate, believing it to be his fourth year students fooling around; he got a big surprise when he saw his dungeon filled with outraged Slytherins. "Class dismissed," he said. All the fourth years hurriedly packed their bags, wanting to be away from an angry Snape; they weren't suicidal.

Ginny tried to take the longest to leave, but she couldn't make out anything from the amount of noise the group was producing. She didn't even know if they were making any intelligent words at all, or if it was just a bunch of outraged noises. She couldn't wait to tell Hermione, Ron, and Harry. 

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"Minister, what do you plan on doing?" Umbridge asked. She was currently sitting in the Minister's office after informing him of the new professor's behaviour.

"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding," Fudge said.

"You're going to remove her, right?" Umbridge asked with a snarl.

"What? Of course not," Fudge said with a small disbelieving laugh.

"Is she even qualified for the position?" Umbridge said desperately. With each passing moment, she was beginning to believe that Sarah Fox had slept her way to the position.

"Are you?" Fudge asked. "That's the whole point. She's not supposed to be. Neither of you have had any experience in the Dark Arts; it's a theoretical course now, or did you forget?"

"How can you be so calm, sir? Do you know what's going to happen? Lucius is not going to be happy."

"It'll be okay," Fudge said calmly. "Sarah's a nice girl."

"Minister," Umbridge almost pleaded.

"Sarah's a nice girl," he repeated. "She might need some help getting out of this mess. I'm sure she didn't mean anything; she's just not used to dealing with students. The guys she used to work with weren't very respectable, if you know what I mean. I trust you'll help her out. Good day," Fudge said dismissively.

Umbridge could only stare at the Minister in disbelief. He wasn't going to do anything? 

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It was lunchtime and Ginny raced into the Great Hall to find her older friends. "Ron! Hermione! Harry!" Ginny yelled excitedly as she sat down beside them. "You'll never guess what happened!" she said, and proceeded to retell the events of potions.

"You're joking!" Ron said, spitting out the pumpkin juice he had in his mouth.

"Would I joke about something like this? Everyone's talking about it!"

When the oblivious trio looked around, they noticed that the great hall was filled with students that were more excited than usual, and the noise was much louder than usual. Looking at the Head table, Snape, Umbridge, and Professor Fox were missing, as were several Slytherins from their house table.

All three were staring at Ginny in shock. "Can she do that?"

"I don't know if she can, but she did."

"I bet Malfoy's not happy."

"She's gonna get in so much trouble!"

"I don't know whether I should be happy or not! I mean, I'm happy about Malfoy, but what about Neville?"

"I'm happy!"

"I can't believe she did that!"

"What's going to happen now?"

The doors of the hall opened, emitting a blonde professor that didn't seem fazed by the shocking events at all. In fact, there seemed to be a slight bounce in her step. The hall went silent as they all watched her walk up to the table, sit down and take a roll from the basket in front of her.

"Hungry?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.

"Starved," Buffy said, biting into her roll. It was delicious. It had been so long since she'd had the delicious food of Hogwarts.

Unfortunately, her meal was cut short as once again the doors of the Great Hall opened and a furious Snape billowed in. "Professor Fox! A word please?" 

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CHAPTER 18: SNAPE

"She is pretty, isn't she," Lucius whispered to Severus, who was staring avidly at the Gryffindor table one morning.

Snape turned his head sharply to look at one of his Slytherin friends. "I don't know what you're talking about," Snape said, picking up his fork and concentrating on his meal.

"Don't treat me like a fool," Malfoy spat. "You've been drooling over that blonde since she first arrived at Hogwarts; denial doesn't work unless you are more capable of hiding your emotions."

"I have not been drooling," Snape said grumpily. He didn't think anyone had noticed, but in retrospect, he should have realized he has not been very discreet. How many other people had noticed?

"I'm not mad at you," Malfoy said calmly. "She is a looker, even if she is in Gryffindor. Even if she is a Potter," he spat her name viciously. "No, this could be good. The Potter's need to be taken down a notch or two, and I believe that you're just the man to do it."

"What are you thinking?" Snape asked suspiciously. He was torn; he knew he had to follow Malfoy, there was no question about it, but this was the first time that he found himself not wanting to. In all fairness, he didn't really know Buffy, but he had seen her around and had watched her talking to her friends. She was beautiful, had a gorgeous smile, and a contagious laugh; unfortunately, she was frequently hanging around with her brother and Black.

"Well, she is a girl, and would more than likely be a good shag," Malfoy sneered.

Snape was drinking from his goblet and choked slightly on hearing the 'plan'.

"Oh, you can't tell me you've never thought about it," Malfoy said incredulously. "Hell, I've thought about it, along with just about every other guy in school. It's just nobody would do anything because she's James' younger sister. It's pathetic, really."

"And it has nothing to do with the fact that she's a fourth year," Snape said disbelievingly; however, he couldn't deny that he'd thought about it. He was a teenage boy, after all; looking at linoleum made him want to have sex.

Malfoy just shrugged and took a long draught from his pumpkin juice. "I'm sure it would be quite a scandal for the virtuous Potter girl to be, well, not so virtuous. And I'm sure you're stunt would rack up some points with the people in the higher positions," he said, referring to the Dark Lord.

Malfoy's family served under the Dark Lord, so it was only natural for Lucius to follow in their footsteps. He wasn't a Death Eater yet, there was no skull on his forearm, because it would be a little too suspicious while he was still at school, but he was an important follower. He helped to recruit people best suited to serve under the Dark Lord, and 'take care' of those that would not, or were not good enough. Snape had been one of his first recruits; it was so easy to take a friendless reject in; it wasn't like his parents cared much. He was pretty smart, and exceptional at Potions.

"I don't know," Snape said, once again sneaking a glance at the blonde girl whose laughter was ringing though the hall.

"I'm sure you'll make the right decision," Malfoy said, snatching a roll and standing up from the table.

Snape didn't even acknowledge Malfoy as he walked away; his eyes were still fixed on the young blonde girl that had unknowingly captured the hearts of many men, of all ages, in the school. She might have been two years below him class wise, but there was only a year difference in their ages. 

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Buffy got up from the table, planning on walking back to the common room with her friends. As she stood up, she snuck a quick glance at Sirius, catching his eye before she turned around again, hoping James didn't notice. It was hard keeping their relationship secret, but she preferred Sirius alive, so James had no idea. Hopefully, anyway.

Snape was wondering the halls aimlessly, thinking about what Lucius had told him two days before. Ever since their talk, he couldn't get Buffy out of his head. If he didn't know better, he would have said Lucius had put something in his drink. Actually... he didn't know better. Malfoy was sneaky and disloyal; he'd do anything to get what he wanted.

Snape frowned at his train of thought, and seriously hoped that his friend wouldn't, or didn't, do anything to him, but he knew he shouldn't put it past him.

Down the corridor, he could hear girls giggling, and it brought his thoughts back around to Buffy. Amazingly enough, her's was the next voice he heard.

"Oh, wait a minute!" Buffy cried distressed. "I must have left one of my books in the library yesterday. I need it for our next class."

Her friends were about to volunteer to come with her to get it when she waved them off dismissively. "Go on ahead, you guys need to go by the common room and the tower's on the opposite side of school. I'll run to the library and meet you at the tower. Just let the professor know I'll be late, okay?"

Buffy walked off before her friends could object, and so they walked back leisurely to the common room.

Snape was hidden from their view, and was pleasantly surprised at this turn of events. She was alone, and they were expecting her to be late! Now was his chance to do something! Snape shook his head slightly to get stop his train of thought. He'd just follow her and maybe say something, that's all.

Curiously enough, as he followed her down a couple of passages, he realized they were not headed anywhere near the library. 'Where is she going?' he thought.

He decided that he might as well ask her. She was heading in the general direction of the Slytherin common room, so it wouldn't be that weird for him to be there. With that thought in mind, he stepped out from the shadows and approached her.

"Buffy, right?" he asked pleasantly, as pleasantly as he was able, at least.

Buffy turned around suddenly, surprised at the other presence behind her. She thought she was being followed, but she had thought it was someone else...

"What? I mean, yes. I'm Buffy," Buffy babbled. "Sorry, you startled me, that's all." She held out her hand and he accepted it, marvelling at the smoothness of her skin.

"Severus. I've seen you around before."

"Yeah, I suppose you would, seeing as how we both live here," Buffy said with a smile. "Well, not here here, because you're obviously in Slytherin and I'm in Gryffindor, and boys and girls don't share dormitories, at least they don't in Gryffindor, I don't know about Slytherin, not that I'm implying anything, I think I'll stop talking now," Buffy said, embarrassed.

"Well, I've never seen you around this part of the castle before. Are you looking for something?"

"No, not exactly. I've been here a couple of times before, I just like to wander the castle sometimes. It's full of surprises!" Buffy said anxiously. She really didn't want him here right now...

"So, are you excited about the Hogsmeade weekend, next week? It'll be nice to have a break from school."

"Yeah," Buffy said distractedly.

"Do you want to go with me?" Snape blurted. 'Where the hell did that come from?' he wondered. He had no intention of ever saying anything remotely obvious, and then he did something stupid like inviting her on a date.

"What?" Buffy asked with wide eyes, staring at the Slytherin in front of her.

"Come on, it could be fun," he said enticingly. 'What are you doing?' he asked himself. In all honesty, he had no idea. Maybe Malfoy had put something in his drink.

"You know, I don't think that's a good idea," Buffy said. She didn't know Severus very well, but she knew that a) he was a little creepy, b) he was in Slytherin, which wasn't an awful thing, but c) she knew her brother would freak, not to mention d) she was with Sirius, who had a worse temper than her brother.

"Why not?" Snape asked, getting a little angry. 'Why would she say no? What did I do to her?'

Buffy looked at the man in front of her with a confused and startled look on her face. She knew that it wasn't easy taking rejection, but she didn't think he'd get mad about it. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm involved with someone," she said.

"No you're not," Snape snarled. 'Now she's lying? That little bitch! How could I have ever thought that she was more than a little slut?'

"Excuse me?" Buffy said. This was really getting out of proportion. Frankly, she was getting a little scared; he was older and stronger than her. And she didn't know him, or what he would do. "I really need to go now, I'm going to be late for class, I have Divination in the North Tower."

Buffy tried to slide past him, but he roughly grabbed her arm, startling the poor blonde girl. "Let go." She tried to shake his hand off her skinny wrist, but his grip was too tight; painfully tight.

"I just wanted you to go to Hogsmeade with me, is that too much to ask?" Snape snarled at her, pushing her up against the wall.

"Stop it," she cried.

Snape opened his mouth to say something else, but before any sound came out, he was grabbed from behind and hurled into the wall, and away from Buffy who looked up into the face of her rescuer.

"Sirius," she cried relieved. "You're late."

"Sorry, I had a hard time convincing James I needed to go to the library by myself. Are you okay?" he asked, looking her over for any damage done.

"I'm fine. Thank you," Buffy said, looking into his eyes.

Sirius gave her a smile and a quick kiss before turning back on the boy that was rising painfully from the floor. Sirius punched Snape and then lifted him up off the ground, the black robes clenched firmly in his fists.

Sirius slammed Snape roughly into the wall again, smacking his head painfully.

"Sirius," Buffy called from behind.

"Don't you ever touch her again," Sirius growled, ignoring Buffy's pleas.

"Sirius, stop. Things just got out of control. I'm sure he didn't mean anything."

"Apologize," Sirius yelled, slamming him again.

"I'm sorry," Snape said to Buffy, and amazingly enough he really sounded like he meant it. "I don't know what came over me." It had just been like a blind rage, it was so weird, like his emotions were controlling his body. "Now would you please let me go," he said a little more viciously to Sirius.

"If I ever see you near her again, you'll wish you had never come to Hogwarts, do you understand?" Sirius asked.

"I'm so scared," Snape mocked.

"You should be." Sirius slammed Snape into the wall once more before letting him drop none to gently. "Leave her alone."

Buffy grabbed Sirius' arm and led him away. "Walk me to class?"

"I always knew I hated that guy," Sirius said angrily. Snape had no idea what was in store for him.

"Don't tell James, please?" Buffy's voice pleaded from down the hall as Snape still lay sprawled on the floor.

'What had he done?' 

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'What had she done?' Snape thought furiously as he stormed down the isle to the head table.

Buffy calmly put down the roll she had been munching on and ignored her rumbling stomach in order to confront the visibly upset professor.

"Is there a problem, Professor Fox?" Dumbledore said pleasantly.

Buffy looked at him incredulously. How could he not know? The whole school knew! He was supposed to be this all-knowing Headmaster, but he doesn't even know when one of his students gets thrown out of class? Unless of course, he did know and just wanted to see how it all played out. He must know that Malfoy wasn't a 'good boy' type of kid.

Buffy carefully schooled her features and replied just as pleasantly, "No problem, just a little issue that apparently wasn't clear enough. Excuse me." Buffy stood up from the table and made her way down to meet the steaming Head of House.

"Yes?"

"I think we need to talk privately," Snape muttered, noticing that all eyes were on them; there was no use making an even bigger scene than they already had.

"I don't think we need to talk at all," Buffy replied. "I thought I made myself clear last time. He is not welcome in my class anymore. As Head of House, I expect you'll make the appropriate changes to his schedule. I'm sure there are some spaces left in muggle studies, and you don't really need prerequisites for that class." Buffy made no attempt to keep her voice down, causing the entire hall to burst out in disbelieving whispers as the rumour was confirmed, and then laughter as they thought of a Slytherin, pureblood, elitist, such as Malfoy, taking muggle studies.

"My office, now," Snape growled out. How could someone be so attractive and yet so stubborn? The random thought took Snape by surprise, and he turned on his heel to exit before he did something stupid. Over the years he had grown much better at hiding his emotions, using anger and spite to cover up his feelings most of the time.

Buffy gave a sigh and reluctantly followed along. This was taking far too much energy. Why couldn't people just accept her judgment? It was much too annoying, and it reminded her of the time when her friends had kicked her out of her own house, even though she was right.

Buffy obediently walked behind Snape as he led the way towards his office. As soon as they left the Great Hall, it exploded with noise, as everyone had something to say on the matter.

"Bloody Hell!" Ron cried, while Hermione smacked him.

"Don't curse, Ron!"

"Did you just hear that! She kicked Malfoy out of Defence! I think I'm going to savour this memory more than the bouncing ferret one. Oh, if only I could have been there to see his face. Priceless," Ron sighed, imagining it.

"Too bad there were only Slytherins in that class. They won't tell us what really happened," Harry sighed, looking where Snape and Fox had gone.

"I bet it was great!"

"Well, what's he going to do know?" Hermione asked, slightly distressed.

Harry and Ron turned to look at her with unbelieving looks gracing their faces. "He deserves it, the git," Ron said. "How could you feel sorry for him?"

"I don't feel sorry for him, I feel sorry for her," Harry said. "Malfoy's gonna cause a storm. Remember what happened with Buckbeak? And this is real!"

"Maybe she'll get fired and we'll have a proper teacher," Hermione said hopefully. She continued as once again, Ron and Harry looked at her with incredulous looks, "Well, I suppose it's a good thing we have the DA then, isn't it? We have O.W.L.'s this year!"

"I wonder what they're doing now?" Neville added in, also looking off where Professor Fox had gone. He actually wanted her to stay; she was one of the nicest teachers he had ever met. She cared.

"I don't know, but what I wouldn't give to find out," Ron said gleefully, shoving another forkful of food in his mouth. Nothing was going to ruin his mood today. 

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Snape pushed open the door to his office, revealing two heads of unnaturally blonde hair. 'Great,' Buffy thought bitterly. 'It just keeps getting better.'

"I'm Lucius Malfoy," the elder blonde said, extending his gloved hand which Buffy reluctantly took.

"Sarah Fox. Professor Sarah Fox," she said with a glare.

"Look, I'm sure there's been some misunderstanding here," Malfoy senior replied easily. "I'm sure if he just apologizes for whatever he did, he'll be allowed back into class, correct?"

"No. I don't know how to make myself any clearer," Buffy said. "He is not coming back to the Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Ever. He is banned for life."

"You don't have the authority to do that," Malfoy spat.

"Actually, I do. I'm the professor. If a student is being disruptive to other's learning environment, he can be removed from class."

"What about Potter, Weasly, Granger, and Longbottom? They're the most disruptive people ever," Draco said with a scowl.

"He does have a point," Snape said with a small smile, thinking he caught her in her own game. "Perhaps next time they're disruptive, I can remove them."

"This is an entirely different situation, as I don't have any prejudices against him," Buffy said. 'His father is an entirely different matter,' she thought. "He was rude and disruptive to me and the class, and therefore he is not welcome anymore. Have a nice day." Buffy started to walk out, but was stopped by Lucius' voice.

"I don't think you understand the consequences your actions will have," he said.

"Are you threatening me, Mr. Malfoy?" Buffy said, taking a step toward the man.

"It's not a threat. It's a warning."

"Sounds the same to me, and I'm sure other people would be more than happy to hear about this. Namely, my boss; I think you call him Minister."

"Like he could do anything. In case you didn't know, I am a prominent member of this society, and I give generous contributions to the ministry."

"I thought that was to buy your way off of a prison sentence in Azkaban," Buffy said matter of factly.

The other members in the room stood still at what she had the nerve to say. "I was cleared of all charges, Miss Fox, and you'll do well to remember that."

"Right, I forgot. You didn't have the balls to fight the Imperious Curse, and were a poor slave to Voldemort."

Everyone in the room was astonished that this slip of a girl had the gall to say the Dark Lord's name. "You'll do well to respect the Dark Lord's name and not use it in vain," Lucius said.

"It's a name, get over it," Buffy said with a roll of her eyes. "I mean, what kind of a name is Voldemort anyway?"

Lucius lifted his wand and pointed it at Buffy, startling Snape. "You should know your place little girl, and not mettle in things that aren't your business."

"This school is my business. If you've forgotten, I'll remind you once again, I'm a professor here. I have power you don't."

"You have no idea what kind of power you're messing with. I have resources and people that will tear you apart. You've chosen the wrong family to mess with."

"Put down you're wand!" Snape yelled for the final time.

Lucius made a motion with his wand and purple beam of light shot out of the tip of his wand, heading straight for Buffy, who quickly lifted her own wand and yelled "Protego!"

A shield erected itself around her, causing the purple light to bounce off the barrier and hit the wall of Snape's office, smashing some of his jars.

Umbridge chose that moment to walk in. "What is going on in here!"

"Nothing," Snape said. "Just a little demonstration, that's all." He had to cover up for Lucius; he'd be in deep with both the Malfoy's and the Dark Lord if he didn't.

"I'm sure the Minister will be very interested to know what kind of spells you use at respected professors at Hogwarts," Buffy said.

"As High Inquisitor, you can force this young lady to allow Draco back into class and cease that ridiciulous ban, right?" Lucius said.

"I do believe that she said that she would back every one of my decisions, isn't that right? I believe that's what we call a magical contract people. Sorry, but my word goes. Draco can find another class. That's final. Have a good day." Buffy walked out of the room while everyone else was stunned by the latest turn of events, including Umbridge herself.

Hem hem, was all she could say.

Snape, on the other hand, walked out the door, following Professor Fox. "Wait just a minute," he snarled, latching onto her arm, attempting to halt her progress.

The fierce pressure on her arm reminded her of that day long ago in the empty corridors of Hogwarts, and of the day not too long ago in the bathroom with Spike. She didn't have control either of those times, and it scared her. But she had the power now.

Buffy flicked her wrist, freeing herself of his grasp and pushed him away, causing him to stumble backwards. "Don't ever touch me again," Buffy said in a low, dangerous voice.

She turned her back on him and walked out, leaving a thoroughly stunned and stumped Snape gawking after her. 'Who is that girl?'

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CHAPTER 19: MOVING ALONG

Buffy was in her room, gazing out of her window and playing with her phoenix pendant. Classes were over for the day, and she was taking a much-needed break. All day she had had to endure people complaining about what she did to Malfoy.

The boy needed to be taken down a notch and besides; it wasn't as if it would hurt him. She was sure that his father was a death eater, meaning that he was probably way ahead of the Dark Arts portion of the class, and the only Defence he would need would be defence against the good guys.

Really, it was only a good thing that Malfoy would no longer be taking DADA; now, if only everyone else could see that...

Buffy sighed, running her fingers through her hair tiredly. Her detention with Malfoy the previous night had not been nice at all. She had put him through mindless labour, hoping that the hard work would make him too tired to talk, but that boy had an extra battery just for his mouth.

She just needed to get away for a while. If only she was still in school, she could fly around the quidditch pitch for a while; flying always helped to clear her mind.

As if she could hear her thoughts, Celsia gave a sharp trill, startling Buffy. Turning away from the window, Buffy faced the bird, giving it a slightly evil look.

"I don't know what you're complaining about," Buffy said. "You can fly! I however, am stuck here." Celsia gave another little trill and flapped her wings a bit, as if trying to tell her something.

"What? Is something wrong?" Buffy asked worriedly.

Celsia took flight and flew over to her friend, picking at the pendant she was still absently playing with.

"Hey! Leave it alone, Sirius gave me that," Buffy said, shooing the bird away. Celsia gave another trill. "Sirius," Buffy said thoughtfully. Her eyes opened wide in sudden understanding. "No... I can't, can I?" Buffy questioned softly. Oh, but if she could...

Buffy looked over at Celsia one more time, who trilled encouragingly. "Okay," Buffy said slowly. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the image of the phoenix, thinking back to everything Sirius had once taught her. She had just been perfecting the transformation when she was taken away, and she hadn't changed since. This was going to be interesting...

At first, Buffy didn't think anything had happened, but then, slowly, ever so slowly, she began to feel the beginnings of a change within her. It wasn't painful, but it did feel very unusual. She started to shrink, and she could feel the organs inside her shifting, sliding and squishing. Some where condensing, others were disappearing, only to be replaced by newer organs. She was only a couple of feet tall now and her clothes began to melt into her skin, which was beginning to turn a brilliant red colour. A light feather outline appeared on her skin, and then everything stopped.

'Oh, no!' Buffy thought worriedly. 'This can't be happening! I'm not going to get stuck like this!' She opened her eyes and looked down slightly, only to notice that she still had a human head on top of a bird-like body. She yelped in surprise and tried to step backward but her proportions were all out of whack and she only succeeded in falling backward. She lay on the floor, trying unsuccessfully to get back up, but she didn't have the mobility she once had. 'I'm going to get stuck as a bird!' Buffy thought, panicking.

As if sensing her distress, Celsia started to sing, slowing Buffy's breathing and racing heart rate and allowing her to think a little more rationally.

'Just focus on the bird, just focus,' Buffy thought. 'It's just like meditation. Focus.' Buffy let her breathing slow even more and she tried to focus once more on the image of the bird.

Once again she began to feel the changes. Her head began to shrink while her arms and legs transformed themselves into the much lighter bones of the phoenix. The feather patter all over her body exploded into bright red feathers some freckled with orange or yellow. She felt a beak protrude slightly from her face, which was getting much narrower and lighter, as her hair was gone.

Opening her eyes, Buffy could now tell that she had completed the transformation as a phoenix. She naturally opened her mouth, no beak, to say something, but instead a little squawk came out. Startled, Buffy stopped trying to say something, before remembering that she couldn't really talk. She opened her mouth once again, but this time, she tested out her new singing voice. A beautiful melody drifted into the room, exciting Celsia who chose to sing along.

Suddenly, Celsia disappeared in a brief bout of flames. Somehow, Buffy knew exactly where she was going and she let her phoenix instincts guide her as she too disappeared in a puff of flames.

The two phoenixes reappeared in a place far away from anywhere Buffy had ever been before. To her left, the mountainous terrain was covered in trees, and on her right was a plain, covering an enormous stretch of land. Buffy herself was perched on top of a large boulder that was jutting out of the earth; she was in awe at the beauty of the land before her.

Buffy spread her wings and gave an experimental flap, before deciding that she should probably just let the phoenix's instincts guide her once more; she had no inclination to plummet to the earth. Buffy took flight and joined Celsia as she rode over the plains. Buffy revelled in the freedom she felt at being completely free; riding on a broomstick was awesome, but this couldn't be compared. The wind that lifted her up flowed gently around her wings; the beauty of the land was far superior to anything at Hogwarts, especially the Quidditch pitch; the ability to control one's own movements as opposed to a broomstick; it was complete independence.

Soaring over the land, Buffy was able to clear her mind and fly peacefully, after rejoicing about her recovered animagus ability. Buffy couldn't believe that she had forgotten about her animagus training with Sirius. She had just successfully completed her second transformation on her birthday, and when they went back to school, Buffy was going to surprise James, Remus, Lily and Peter. She never got the chance to show them, so Sirius was the only one that knew.

A flash of something to her side caused Buffy to turn her head, only to be surprised to find another phoenix flying! Phoenixes were so rare, Buffy was surprised, but happy, that she could now see two! A lot of people never saw phoenixes in their lifetime; Buffy guessed she was just incredibly lucky, but what were the chances of seeing a second phoenix here?

The new bird flew over to Celsia and gave a quick greeting and nuzzle of the head before flying beside her. 'Interesting,' Buffy thought with a small smile. Upon closer inspection, Buffy was able to identify the new phoenix; 'Fawkes?' she thought. Of course, the only other phoenix that she had ever met; one would have thought it would have been an obvious guess.

When doing her project on Phoenixes during her Care of Magical Creatures class, Dumbledore allowed her to study and play with Fawkes, who had taken an immediate liking to the young blonde girl. They had quickly become friends and every time she walked into Dumbledore's office (which was more for seeing the bird than for being in trouble) Fawkes would fly over and land on her shoulder.

Buffy was glad to see her old friend again, as she had yet to go up to Dumbledore's office. Fawkes turned his head to her and gave her a little trill in greeting. Buffy returned the sound and then they soared happily over the ground for a good hour, Hogwarts was nowhere in sight. 

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Knock Knock Knock "Come in," Dumbledore answered from behind his desk. The door opened and Snape walked in. "Severus! What brings you to my office?" Dumbledore asked with a surprised smile.

"It's about Professor Fox, sir," Snape began, standing behind the wooden desk.

"Please, have a seat," Dumbledore said. "Would you like a lemon drop?" he asked, offering a small package.

Snape sneered slightly as if repulsed by the muggle candy and politely declined, "No, thank you." But he did take a seat.

"Now, what about our new professor?" Dumbledore asked, folding his hands on top of his desk.

"I'm not here about Malfoy, if that's what you're asking," Snape said. "I'm actually... Professor Fox is very... interesting," Snape said, fumbling for words on how to describe the young professor.

"Yes, I've noticed that myself. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but there seems to be something..."

"Familiar about her," Snape finished when Dumbledore trailed off.

"Yes," Dumbledore said slowly, thinking. "Yes."

"She seems to be hiding quite a bit about herself," Snape said. "She pretends to be this blonde imbecile, but then suddenly she's kicking people out of class and cooling handling every situation. She's not who she appears to be."

"No she is not," Dumbledore. "I have also been watching Miss Fox, and I must say that I am confused, amazed, and surprised at this young lady. There is something familiar about her that I just can't seem to place, no matter how hard I try, but I have met many people in my old age. The thing that interests me the most is her attitude towards our High Inquisitor," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I dare say that there is an underlying tension between the two that wasn't there on her first day here."

"Problems within the Ministry?" Snape said with a smirk.

"Possibly," Dumbledore said.

"I find it hard to believe that someone from the Ministry would kick a Malfoy out of class, considering the Malfoys contributions and status," Snape said.

"Are you suggesting that Miss Fox may not be from the Ministry?" Dumbledore clarified. He too had been considering the option, but it didn't seem likely.

"Maybe," Snape said. "But Miss Fox was not yet been reprimanded by Fudge yet, and I have no doubt that Lucius has already taken the liberty of informing him of the circumstances."

"So you believe that she is controlling the Minister somehow?" Dumbledore asked. He was slightly surprised at this scenario, not that he could say he hadn't considered it. If the Minister of Magic was being controlled... well, that was a whole new situation.

"I'm just considering the options. I don't know if I'd call her a Death Eater, as Lucius is one of the more prominent figures," Snape said in a much quieter voice, "and I don't think the Dark Lord would take future generations out of the Dark Arts class, or support his followers decisions to do so."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said, lost in thought. "She has the Minister's approval, maybe she is just trying to shake things up a little bit."

"She's doing a superb job so far," Snape said.

"Yes, it seems like everyone is talking about her, wouldn't you agree?" Dumbledore asked with a wink, watching Snape scowl.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Snape said, standing up. "I just thought you'd like to be informed of the situation."

"Thank you Severus," Dumbledore said. "I shall ponder this issue some more and I'll bring it up at the next meeting," he said, the word 'Order' purposely excluded. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Snape said, shutting the door as he left.

Dumbledore sat back in his chair, thinking about the girl. "Who are you?" he muttered aloud to himself. Her face was so familiar... he tried to think back to different people he had known relatively recently, she wasn't all that old, trying to match faces.

Suddenly, he sat up and picked up the piece of paper he was working on before Snape came in, forgetting completely about his previous search for answers.

A spell cast by a red-headed Wicca went into effect, allowing the true identity of the blonde to be hidden.

Buffy was back at her friends' flat in London, talking comfortably with them. Upon arriving back at her chambers, she had changed back into her human self, at a much quicker pace than before. She decided that she wanted to keep her animagus abilities a secret for now; as much as she wanted to see her friends' faces as she showed them what else she could do, the desire to keep quite was stronger. Celsia was nice enough to give her a ride over to the flat a little while later.

Sitting on the sofa, listening to Willow ramble on about the touristy places they had been that day, Buffy's thoughts wandered back to Sirius and Remus and how she was going to find them. Earlier that day she had snuck into Filch's office, trying to find something that he might have kept of Sirius' or Remus'. Unfortunately, she couldn't find anything that could be Sirius' for sure. There was tons of stuff that littered the office, from bags of dung bombs to stacks of firecrackers, old toys and newer inventions, and amazingly enough, some kind of weird ear-type thing. Buffy stayed far away from that.

Fortunately, she was able to find something of Remus'. When the boys ran around the halls when they weren't suppose to, Remus would carry a small whistle, that they had charmed so only the four of them could hear it. If someone were in danger, or when Remus was feeling very ill, all the boys would come running. Buffy had no idea how Filch had gotten it, but she was glad he did. Picking up the small silver whistle, Buffy had left the room, narrowly escaping before Mrs. Norris came to investigate.

Once Willow had finished rattling away, Buffy brought up the subject of a location spell.

"Well, we'd need something of the person's," Willow said, trailing off as Buffy held up an object.

"Okay, then all I need to do is get the ingredients."

"Can't you just wave your arms or something?" Anya said. "You do that a lot."

"This is a different kind of spell, it'll show us where he is," Willow said, gesturing offhandedly so that a map appeared from nowhere.

"Like that!" Anya said excitedly.

"Different spell," Willow said, collecting all her things. One by one she added the ingredients, stirring and simmering when it was called for.

"Okay," Willow said about a half hour later. "Now the object please."

Buffy handed over the whistle and Willow hung it over the cauldron for a minute before lowering it in slowly. While she was doing that, she was whispering some words that Buffy missed.

Smoke rose from the cauldron and the map in front of them began to glow. "The tell-tale sign that a spell works," Xander joked," something glows."

The smoke ceased and the glowing died down.

"Or not," Xander said.

"Where is he?" Anya asked, looking at the map.

"I don't know," Willow said with a frown. Maybe the spell hadn't worked.

A bright light then emerged from the map, pointing out a location far from any other housing developments; it was surrounded by the woods.

"There it is," Anya said, pointing.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Buffy asked excitedly. "Let's go."

The five friends exited the taxi that dropped them off at the corner of the woods and a slightly worn path leading into them.

"Wow, it doesn't look like he wanted company ever," Xander joked.

They cautiously entered the dense woods, Buffy leading the way. She was so excited at the possibility of seeing Remus again. They might not have been siblings, like her and James, and they might not have been dating, like her and Sirius, but they were still good friends nonetheless. Remus was like another brother to her; he had always helped her when needed, and he was good for a laugh every now and again. He was a marauder, after all.

The path looked seldom used and the trees were leering at them from all sides. What little rays of the full moon were able to penetrate the treetops scattered the ground; most of the light was just swallowed by the darkness everywhere.

"Isn't it a little late to be calling on friends?" Xander asked a little jumpily. "I mean, let's think here. Let's be logical for a minute. We are walking in a very dark, creepy, typical scary movie forest at night. And we know what's really goes bump in the night!" he said.

"Don't worry, I've brought weapons," Buffy said.

"Oh, okay then," Xander said, relaxing a bit. "But if we get mauled, eaten, or otherwise hurt, I get dibs on 'I told you so.'"

"Sure," Buffy said.

"Good, just so we're clear."

The path finally straightened out a little and showed a clearing not too far ahead. At the end of the clearing stood a fairly dilapidated house covered in vines.

"Wow, talk about your fixer upper," Xander said. "If he wants, I can help."

"I'll be sure to let him know," Buffy said, a little upset that he was living in a place so... old. The shutters were hanging off their hinges, some weren't even there, the windows were covered in grime, and the colour was a motley brown. The front door had moss growing on the bottom and rust around its hinges.

Walking up to the door, Buffy knocked three times, her stomach in butterflies. She waited.

And waited.

And waited.

She knocked again. "Remus?" she called out.

No answer.

She tried again. "Remus? Are you home?"

No answer.

"I don't think anyone's home, Buffy," Willow said gently, trying to ease the anxious slayer.

Buffy stopped knocking. She had really wanted to see Remus, and now he wasn't home. "Who isn't home at 11:00 at night?" Buffy asked, frustrated.

"Us," Xander said, but stopped with the look that Buffy gave him.

Buffy turned back to the door and tried the doorknob. It was locked. Glaring slightly at it, she pulled out her wand.

"Uh, Buffy, what are you doing?" Xander asked.

"I'm going in," Buffy said. "Alohomora,"

There was the tiniest click inside and when Buffy tried the door again, it opened.

"Now that's a nifty trick," Xander said. "Does it work with cars too? I hate it when I lock my keys inside."

"I don't know," Buffy said. She walked inside carefully, calling out as she did.

Willow used her own magic to light all the torches/candles that lit the walls. "Creepy," she said.

Cobwebs hung everywhere and some old papers were strewn around the floor.

"It doesn't look like anyone had been here for a while," Giles said.

"Sorry Buff, maybe he moved," Xander suggested.

"Maybe," Buffy said disappointed. "But why would the map lead us here?" She walked around, peaking through stacks of papers. The small cottage had little furnishings, and what it did have wasn't in the best condition.

"Or maybe something ate him," Anya said, looking at the bite marks and ripped up, gnawed at edges on the couch.

"He's a werewolf," Buffy said. "Maybe this is where he goes during the full moon."

"I seriously hope not," Willow said.

"Why?"

"Tonight's the full moon." Everyone was quite for a moment, but then Buffy calmed everyone down.

"If he was here, then we'd know it. He would've smelled us long ago."

Still rifling through old papers, Buffy noticed an old photograph fall out of the stacks. She bent over and picked it up, examining the people waving at her merrily. It was James, Sirius, Remus and Buffy. Tears came to her eyes, as it was the first photograph she had of her family. Lily took this at Hogwarts and presented it to her on her birthday. Knowing her dislike for Peter, Lily had taken it while he was away doing something or other.

Buffy sniffed slightly and pocketed the picture. Remus wouldn't mind.

Buffy walked back through the rest of the house, but nothing else was around. Obviously he hadn't been here in some time. All she had found where a comb and a mirror in the bathroom. She was about to leave, before she had an idea, and she picked up the comb, with hair still stuck in it, and pocketed that as well. She'd have to ask Willow for a favour later.

"Let's go," Buffy said dejectedly. "No one's here."

"Sorry," Willow said. "I'm sure we'll find him. Maybe he's not in England anymore."

"Maybe," Buffy said, but sincerely hoped that wasn't the case.

Anyway, the trip hadn't been an entire loss... 

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CHAPTER 20: POTIONS

Around 11:30 that night, members of the Order began arriving at Headquarters for the biweekly meetings.

Sirius stood anxiously in the kitchen, waiting the arrival of a certain greasy-haired git, as he had for the last several hours.

Finally, the potions professor arrived and was on his way towards the meeting room, when he was intercepted.

"Where is he? Is he okay? What happened?" Sirius asked, concerned.

"He's fine," Snape said condescendingly. "I got there in time and he took the potion. He opted to stay and wander the woods anyway, for old times sake."

"Good," Sirius said. Then his anxiety about his friend faded, only to be replaced by anger; he slammed Snape up against the wall. "What were you thinking? You knew it was the full moon and you still left Remus without any Wolfsbane potion! He could have hurt himself, or Merlin-forbid, someone else!"

"He was fine," Snape sneered. "He's been doing this for years, he should know what to do."

"Well, what if something had happened? He does have a mission you know," Sirius said, trying to appeal to the man's sense of duty, as his humanity had left long ago.

"He went to the house like he used to. It's so old and decrepit there no one would ever show up. Besides, he got his precious potion in time." Snape pushed against Sirius, and ripped himself free of the man's grip.

Sirius was about to attack Snape but was stopped by the sudden presence of the Headmaster.

"That's enough," he said. "Snape was having a conversation with me and I forgot that he had a potion to deliver to Remus. It's my fault he was late. Now if you could both stop pestering each other long enough we can get some work done." With that said, Dumbledore glided between them in order to enter the meeting room further down the hall. Snape and Sirius glared at each other, Snape fixed his robes, and they set off down the hall.

"Now then," Dumbledore said. "The first order of business is the arrival of the new ministry professor. Miss Sarah Fox has been an interesting person to have at Hogwarts these past few days; she had definitely shaken things up a bit."

"She kicked Mr. Malfoy out of class, permanently," McGonagall said. Murmurs went around the table.

"Can she do that?" Sirius called out, astonished. "I mean, what exactly did he do?"

"Apparently he offended her, disrupted her class or some nonsense," Snape bit out. "If I had known professors had the power to do that, I'd have done it a long time ago."

"A personal dislike against a student or a student's relatives should in no way compromise that student's education," McGonagall said.

"But we both know that's not the case," Sirius said, snarling at Snape.

"Please," Dumbledore interrupted. "Fighting will not help anyone. The new professor supposedly works for the ministry, but her behaviour has been slightly out of character." Dumbledore began to inform the Order of the professor's behaviour, and of the conversation between Snape and himself. When he was done, the talking began.

"She's probably using Polyjuice potion."

"I don't recall anyone named Sarah Fox in the ministry."

"She really kicked Malfoy out of class?"

"What do you think she really wants?"

"What department did you say she was in?"

"I think we should keep an eye out for her."

"She's really not as bad as Umbridge, but I'm tired of having the ministry butting in."

"What does she look like? Do you have a picture? If you did I might be able to ask a few people at work, see what they know."

"You can't trust them; always got to be on your toes."

"That's enough," Dumbledore said, trying to get everyone's attention. "One at a time, please." Dumbledore went around answering people's questions as best as he could.

Sirius perked up a bit when he mentioned that she was a blonde, but deflated once he found out she had blue eyes. Buffy had always had brilliant green eyes...

"I must sat that I carry no ill feelings towards her, none at all, strangely enough," Dumbledore said. "There's something about her that seems familiar, and somewhat comforting, although I can't figure out what it is. I trust that everyone will look into this matter, but at the moment I believe we have more pressing issues to deal with."

The subject was changed and the meeting continued on, but Sirius' mind didn't follow what else was said. What did it matter? He wasn't going anywhere anyway, and besides, he couldn't keep his mind from drifting to Buffy if his life depended on it. So why fight it? The question was, should he tell Dumbledore about his dream?

No. He would probably tell him the same thing Remus did, that it was just his memories resurfacing after years of Dementors influence.

But how could he know what she looked like years later?

The next couple of days went by uneventfully. Buffy kept trying the location spell for Remus, but she figured it must not have worked. First, they were led to a house that hadn't been used in years. Then, the dot showed up in France, before travelling to Bulgaria and Rome. Buffy just gave up on the spell.

Sure, Remus might be on vacation or something, but Buffy doubted it. It was possible he was on the run with Sirius; at least, that's what Buffy hoped. She couldn't catch them, though. Each time Willow and Buffy left, racing after the dot, the place they ended up at was empty. They weren't ever houses, but just random spots of land, or holes in rocks; however, there was never any sign of life.

Buffy still had to finish the week with Umbridge supervising her class; a surprise call from Fudge made sure that she was keeping to the curriculum, much to Buffy's displeasure.

Soon, it was Friday. The day fifth year Gryffindors had potions; Buffy was keeping track.

During breakfast in the great hall it was time for the mail. Hundreds of owls flocked in from the ceiling, delivering messages to the students. One brown school owl dove down to the Gryffindor table and dropped off an envelope at Neville's seat, disturbing the eggs and overturning a couple of sausages.

No one was surprised at the letter; it wasn't anything unusual, and Neville just thought it was another reminder from his grandma. Upon opening it, however, he was slightly confused. All it said was "Breathe. Just remember to Breathe."

Neville looked up, remembering that Professor Fox had told him that during their 'detention' session. She remembered that he had potions today and wanted to remind him of their lesson! He looked up at the Head table, but found that Buffy was engrossed in a conversation with Dumbledore. Although, he could have sworn that she looked at him for the slightest second and winked, but that could have been his imagination.

Neville smiled to himself. He was going to make it through potions without a mistake.

The students were all seated and were just waiting for Snape to enter. And enter he did, flinging the door open and then letting it slam behind him. "Today's lesson is very dangerous and I will not tolerate any mistakes. If I see anyone fooling around, fifty house points will be taken. Half of you will be brewing the poison, while your partners will be brewing the antidote. They're on page 245 in your books, begin."

Neville was partnered with Harry, while Ron and Hermione were working together. "Ill take the poison," Neville volunteered, his voice a little shaky. 'Just breathe,' he reminded himself.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Neville said, not sounding completely sure.

"Okay," Harry said. "I need to get this right, Snape's determined to fail me, so let's get started." Neville nodded and they opened their textbooks. Reading through all the ingredients, they went to the cabinet and picked out everything they would need.

The room was quiet as people were concentrating extremely hard on their potions; no one wanted to lose fifty house points, or screw up the potentially deadly poison. The chopping of the roots and the scraping of the ladles on the bottom of the cauldrons were the only sound.

But it had to happen. A cauldron had to explode.

The sound startled everyone, causing some to knock over their ingredients, and others to accidentally add ingredients at the wrong time, as they all jumped. Several other cauldrons began to boil over, some had their liquid catch on fire, and others had smoke billowing out of the top. It was like a chain reaction.

"LONGBOTTOM!" Snape yelled, startling Neville, who was trying to clean up the roots that had fallen off the edge of his table when the first cauldron had exploded.

"Y... yes, sir," Neville said slowly. 'He's just trying to get to you,' he remembered Professor Fox telling him. 'What can he do to you? Take house points away? Who cares?'

"I told you explicitly that I wouldn't tolerate any mistakes. Look what you've done!" he hissed, coming over to their table. "I suppose Potter thought he was too good to help you out, figuring that he wouldn't get any blame..." Snape trailed off as he came closer, realizing that their cauldrons were two out of the six that weren't ruined.

"I didn't do anything," Neville said.

Snape was astonished. Neither Neville nor Harry had exploded their cauldrons. He looked over towards Ron and his hadn't exploded either. He turned completely and noticed that it was Goyle's cauldron that had been the first to explode. Beside him, Crabbe's cauldron was spilling onto the floor, while Malfoy's potion was burning and Pansy's was smoking. "Fifty points from every person's cauldron that exploded," Snape said slowly, making true to his word. Moans of displeasure were heard, because most of the screwed up potions were Slytherins, as their cauldrons were closest to the original mess.

Snape waved his wand, clearing up the potions. "Finish your potions," Snape barked at the rest of the class. "I will be checking them at the end of the class. The rest of you will have zeros for this assignment. And if one more mistake is made," Snape left the threat hanging, frightening the students even more.

Neville's hand began to shake as he tried to measure out the dragon's blood and the blood spilt on the table. Neville quickly cleaned up the mess before Snape saw him.

"It's okay, Neville," Harry said softly. "We're almost done."

Neville looked at Harry gratefully and nodded. He took a deep breath and once again thought back to Professor Fox. 'Just take one step at a time.' Neville continued on down the list, following each step precisely. Before he knew it, Snape was talking again.

"Time's up. Let's see how you've all managed to screw up this time." Walking around to the six cauldrons left, one Slytherin and five Gryffindors, Snape was taken by surprise. He awarded Blaise ten points for correctly completing the poison, which was supposed to be a baby blue colour. Dean Thomas had managed to make an antidote, except his was a royal purple, and it was supposed to be a royal blue.

"That's a zero for today, Mr. Thomas," Snape said with a small smirk. He then walked over to Hermione and Ron's table, noticing that their poison was successfully completed, although their antidote was a sickly yellow. "Ten points from Gryffindor; he was your partner Mrs. Granger, I would have expected more from you."

Ron opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione put a hand on his arm to silence him. "No need to get more points off," she whispered bitterly. "He just wants to get a rise out of you."

"The slimy git," Ron hissed. "He takes points off when you do help and he takes points off when you don't help. How are you supposed to know what to do? If only he wasn't our teacher..."

"Ron!" Hermione whispered sharply.

Snape, meanwhile, was wandering over to the last remaining table. "Potter and Longbottom; a deadly combination. Let's see what catastrophe you have brewed up this time, shall we?" he asked with a malicious grin, sure that it was going to be something awful.

Upon reaching the table, he was astonished to see a baby blue potion sitting gently in one cauldron, while a royal blue antidote rested in the other. He had nothing to say at first, but then he furiously turned around and pointed at Hermione. "You!"

"What?" she yelped, startled. 'What could have possibly happened?' she thought.

"Obviously Mr. Weasley's potion is completely wrong because you were helping Potter and Longbottom, weren't you? I will not tolerate cheating in my classroom."

Several people jumped up, protesting the unjust accusation, while others smirked happily in their seats.

"SIT DOWN!" Snape yelled angrily. "I will not tolerate this kind of behaviour. I might have to throw you out of my class," Snape said, thinking happily about Professor Fox's previous behaviour. The students reluctantly took their seats, knowing that it was possible for that to happen.

"Now, all of you will get zeros on this assignment, you will serve detentions, and one hundred points will be taken from each of you; cheating will not be tolerated."

"You can't do that!" Harry yelled angrily. "We didn't do anything wrong! Hermione didn't help us out at all, so you can't accuse us of cheating!"

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that my two worst students successfully completed the potions that stumped so many of your better classmates?"

Neville couldn't believe it. The one time he had actually completed a potion by himself and he was accused of cheating! He stood up angrily. "I didn't cheat, and neither did Harry."

Snape, and the rest of the class, was astonished that Neville was actually standing up for himself, especially to him. "I thought I told you to sit down," he said intimidating.

Snape scared Neville a little and he was about to comply when he heard Professor Fox's voice in his head, 'What's the worst he could do to you? Take off points? Who cares?' He gathered up the little courage he had left and spoke up. "No. We didn't cheat. It's not even possible for Hermione to help us out; she's too far away."

"She may not be right next to you, but I'm sure you've figured out some cleaver system."

"We didn't cheat!" Neville yelled loudly, startling the entire classroom. "We followed the instructions exactly and we made the potions correctly BY OURSELVES!"

Harry, Hermione and Ron sat staring at Neville. They had never seen him so upset before; he was never this confrontational, although he had never been accused of cheating before, either.

"What's gotten into him?" Hermione asked Ron quietly.

"I don't know, but remind me never to make him angry. I didn't realize he could be so scary."

"That is enough, Mr. Longbottom. Fifty more points from Gryffindor for your insolence."

Neville was about to speak up again, when the door opened and in stepped Professor Dumbledore. "I was wandering through the halls and I happened to hear yelling coming from the classroom. Is everyone okay?"

"Yes, Headmaster, everything is fine," Snape started to say, only to be interrupted by Neville.

"He's accused Harry and I of cheating because we've done our potions correctly," he said loudly.

"Indeed?" Dumbledore said, surprised at this turn of events. "And did you?"

"No!" Neville cried.

Dumbledore nodded and looked to Harry, but somehow managing to avoid eye contact. "And you Harry?"

"I didn't cheat!" Harry said indignantly and angrily. "Like Neville said earlier, it's not even possible for us to cheat off of Hermione, she practically across the room."

Dumbledore looked at the seating arrangements and clapped his hands together, "Well, that settles it. No one cheated."

Everyone was taken by surprise at the abrupt announcement, but Neville continued with less enthusiasm. "Sir, he took off points..."

"Of course," Dumbledore said, "All house points taken away on this matter will be returned. Well, I really must be off, I've an important meeting I shouldn't be late for." With a curious smile at Neville, and a nod to Severus, Dumbledore left the classroom.

"Class dismissed," Snape said with a snarl, angry at Dumbledore's interference. Potter always seemed to get off...

"Neville, that was brilliant!" Ron exclaimed as they walked towards the great hall. All the Gryffindors were crowding around Neville, wanting to congratulate him on standing up to Snape.

"I didn't know you had it in you!" Seamus said, clapping him on the shoulder.

"I didn't either," Neville said with a shaky grin. He wasn't used to getting so much attention, but he wasn't upset about it. He did it. He conquered his fear and it was all thanks to Professor Fox.

"What do you think came over him?" Hermione asked Harry quietly. "I mean, he's been scared of Snape for years and all of a sudden he yells at him!"

"I don't know," Harry said, confused himself. It really wasn't like Neville.

"How did you do those potions, anyway?" Hermione asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" Harry said, offended.

"Well, honestly Harry, you and Neville aren't the best students in our class, and yet you did finish the potion, Snape had a point."

"We did it all by ourselves. We didn't cheat," Harry huffed, walking away from Hermione.

"Harry!" Hermione called out. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that," she said, catching up to her best friend. "It's just a little strange is all. On Monday, Neville melted his cauldron again, and then today he's not only one of the few that completed the assignment, but he also stood up to Snape."

Harry didn't really want to say anything to Hermione, but he knew she had a point; she always did.

"I'm sorry, Harry, I don't know what I was thinking. I just... I'm sorry," Hermione said when she realized that Harry wasn't letting go of her earlier slip up. She didn't want him to be mad at her and she really didn't mean it like that.

"It's fine," he said, although there was a hint of disappointment in his voice still. "Maybe we just got lucky."

"Professor?" Neville asked, knocking on her office door. He heard footsteps and waited for the door to open.

"Neville? Can I help you with something?" Buffy said.

"I just wanted to thank you, for believing in me and helping me," Neville said rather shyly.

"I take it your Potion lesson went well?" Buffy said with a small smile.

Neville nodded with more enthusiasm. "I was one of the few to do the potion correctly," Neville began, telling her of all that had happened.

"Well, twenty points for the potion, and thirty points for facing your fear and standing up to Snape. He had no right to accuse you of cheating," Buffy said.

Neville smiled gratefully. "I just wish..." he trailed off.

"What?" Buffy asked curiously.

"It's nothing, goodnight," Neville said.

"Obviously it's not nothing," Buffy said. "Now what were you going to say?"

Neville looked at her a moment before dropping his gaze and reluctantly continuing. "I just wondered what my parents would say, that's all," Neville said.

Buffy didn't have much to say to that and Neville walked off after a final goodnight. 


	6. Chapters 21 to 25

CHAPTER 21: MENDING 

Buffy was once again sitting in Fudge's office and it was taking all her willpower to keep herself from reaching over and strangling him, but that wouldn't do. She was in the Minister's office; it wouldn't take long for the entire Auror department, not to mention the rest of the Ministry employees, to come to his rescue. She'd be carted off to Azkaban before she'd even let go.

No, she just had to sit still and listen to the man drone on and on about her performance in their weekly meetings.

"... and so you must see how your actions have consequences," Fudge was saying to her.

"Yes, I'll be less rash from now on," she said with a fake smile, leaning toward him innocently, "but he accused me of sleeping with... people... to get this job! How can I let that slide by, especially after everything that happened with my old job?"

"You're right, of course, which is why he shall stay expelled," Fudge said, wanting to do everything to keep the pretty blonde happy.

"Thank you," Buffy said, sitting back. "I mean, do you have any idea what would happen to my authority if he got admitted back into class? I'd never get any respect."

"Of course," Fudge said again.

"Just one more thing, before I go, don't you think it's time for me to conduct the lessons on my own? I mean, Dolores Umbridge must have more important things to do with her time; I'd hate for her to get behind in her work just because of me."

"You're absolutely correct," Fudge said. "She should get back to her duties as High Inquisitor and you'll begin to teach on your own. Do you think you can handle it?"

"I think I'll be okay," Buffy said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Good. Just be sure to follow the curriculum I've given you. Should you choose not to, dire consequences will follow. I don't think I need to tell you that, but it's procedure."

"Right," Buffy said tightly.

"We'll continue to have these meetings every Saturday morning at 8:00," Fudge said.

"Good day, Minister," Buffy said, standing up.

"Are you sure there's nothing else I can help you with?" Fudge asked.

"I'm good," she said. "Thanks." Buffy began to walk to Fudge's office door, only to be stopped by his next words.

"Won't you be going back by Floo?"

"I feel like a walk at the moment," Buffy said. "See you next week."

Buffy wanted to stop by the Auror department before she left, just to see if they had any new leads on Sirius. She had tried to do a locator spell with her phoenix pendant, but it didn't work; Buffy assumed it was because he had given it to her and so the spell didn't recognize it as being his.

Walking towards the farthest cubicle, she noticed a red-haired man round the corner, only to bump into another, older red-haired man. Both lost their balance and stood up and were about to issue apologies, only to stop as they lifted their eyes. The younger man straightened up and stiffly began to walk away, while the older man's concerned gaze became angry before he walked away in the opposite direction.

Obviously, something was going on between the two of them, but it confused Buffy because they looked so much alike. They couldn't be father and son, could they?

She walked over to the next occupied cubicle and noticed a man sitting down, studiously ignoring the collision, which was in perfect view.

"Excuse me," Buffy said with a flirtatious smile, noticing no ring on the guys' finger.

The man's black head snapped up and looked at the pretty blonde in front of him. "May I help you?"

"I just happened to notice the accident between those two," Buffy said, pointing in the direction they had gone, "and I was just wondering if you knew what was going on. They didn't look too happy to see each other."

"They wouldn't be," the man said. "You must be new around here."

"Yeah, I'm just here to see one of my friends, surprise her for lunch," Buffy lied quickly. "So what's the deal with those two? I hate to see a family divided. I mean they are family, right?"

"Yep, they're two of the famous Weasley clan," the man said.

"Weasley?" Buffy said, surprised. "Arthur Weasley?" she knew the man looked somewhat familiar; she should have known that Ron's dad was Arthur, she just didn't even think about it. It would take awhile for her to wrap her mind around the fact that all her old friends were grown up and most had kids, many of which were in her classes.

"You know him?"

"Yes, but I haven't seen him in ages. So what's the deal with his son?"

"Percy," the man said, grimacing, "is the Minister's assistant, unfortunately. He is a pompous, I want to say know it all, but the problem is he doesn't know it all, he just thinks he does."

"Ah," Buffy said. "I know the type."

"He's very eager and is an overachiever. Anyway," the man said, lowering his voice. "Dumbledore and Harry Potter had started a rumour that You-Know-Who is back, it's all nonsense, really, or at least that's what the Minister is telling everyone. Arthur and his family have always been loyal to Dumbledore, until now, at least. Percy is aligning himself with Fudge, and therefore against his family. He's basically disowned his own family, so they've disowned him. Although, I heard Molly isn't taking it very well."

It seemed that the man had just been waiting for someone to ask, as he kept giving out information, which Buffy was sure others would be less forthcoming about.

"Thanks," Buffy said absently, walking away from the man, who was very startled at her abrupt departure.

She stopped at the end cubicle, where a big black man sat surrounded by pictures of Sirius. She gazed at them longingly while Kingsley looked up at her.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Yes, the Minister asked me to come down and see if you've had any progress with Sirius Black."

Kingsley sighed, "I haven't come across any leads in the five minutes it's been since Percy came down and asked me the same thing. I could get a lot more work done if you'd stop pestering me."

"Sorry," Buffy said. 'Ooops!' she thought. She turned to go but the man stopped her.

"Are you Sarah Fox? The new professor at Hogwarts?" Kingsley asked her, recognizing her description from the Order meeting a couple of nights before.

Buffy turned around and stared at him distrustfully. "How do you know my name?"

"You're pretty much the talk of the Ministry; Lucius Malfoy stormed in here a couple of days ago," Kingsley clarified at her confused look.

"Oh, yeah," Buffy said, a sheepish look coming over her features. That one act really was more trouble than it was worth.

Kingsley looked at her interestedly. Who was this girl that had everyone concerned about? She didn't look like she could do anyone real damage, as small as she was, but she did have an air about her that he didn't know what to make of. This young woman in front of him had some strength about her, even though her outer behaviour might have suggested otherwise to some. "Interesting..."

"So, tell me, why'd you kick out Malfoy? Everyone's dying to know."

"His hair was blonder than mine," Buffy deadpanned.

Kingsley looked at her in shock and then began to laugh. He liked this girl.

"I really need to go. Sorry if I've kept you from your work." Buffy quickly left before he could say anything else.

She walked through the Ministry building, stopping only when she came upon a small door marked "Percy Weasley." She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Here goes nothing," she muttered to herself.

The door opened after a moment and revealed the young man that she had seen earlier. "Yes?" he asked, his voice betraying his superior attitude.

"Why are you doing this?" Buffy asked him, not taking time for pleasantries.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, completely taken aback.

"Fighting with your family," Buffy clarified. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"I don't think it's any of your business," he said, closing the door.

Buffy stuck her foot in the doorway and used her hand to push the door, keeping it open. "You're right, it isn't my business. I'm not in your family, so I really have no right to tell you what to do, but I do what I want. Amazingly enough, I care about you and your family, even though I don't really know you."

"Please, leave," Percy said, attempting again to close the door. "I'll be forced to call the Aurors and have you escorted off the premises."

"What would happen if they were killed tomorrow? Or today, for that matter?" Buffy said, halting his self-important speech.

"What?" he asked, shocked.

"What if your entire family was dead, by some freak accident or something. Say the house fell down and they were all killed. You'll never have the chance to see them again and you'll always remember how you behaved towards them. They'll have died hating you and thinking that you hated them. How would you feel?"

Percy was completely shocked; where did this girl come from, and what was she saying?

"Huh?" Buffy asked more forcefully. "You're entire family is dead and you never even made up. You'll always regret your actions and your guilt will run your entire life. Is that how you want to live?"

Percy's head was spinning. "They're not going to die," he said meekly.

"You don't know that," Buffy insisted. "It's unlikely that your entire family will be killed, but what about Ron? Or your dad? What about your mother?"

That hit Percy hard. He didn't want any of his family dead, but his mother was his mother. He swallowed hard.

"What if, Merlin forbid, something horrible and unexpected happened to her? You'd never be able to say goodbye, never be able to apologize for your atrocious behaviour," Buffy said, furious with the man in front of her. "Are you happy right now? You've got no one to turn to if you have a problem, no one to go laugh with, no one to joke around with."

Percy was very quite, growing paler with each word she was saying. He didn't believe that they were right in aligning against the Minister, but they were family.

"No one's saying that you can't be loyal to both the Ministry and your family. Personally, I believe family is more important. They're the ones that will be with you through all your good and bad times, should you let them. How can you be so stupid and arrogant to think that you're better than them? You're the same! You might have different beliefs, which is okay, lots of people disagree with their families, but not many people go to the lengths of disowning them."

"They follow Dumbledore," Percy finally spoke up. "I'm loyal to Fudge, as they should be."

"Why should they be?" Buffy interrupted. "Because he's the Minister? Just because someone's in power doesn't make him or her right. Do you even remember Hitler? Voldemort has power, but that doesn't make him right. What matters is what they stand for and what they do to help those around them.

"I know what it's like to loose family and I wish I could've done so many things differently. They're gone and I didn't get to say goodbye," Buffy said, "but at least I didn't end with harsh words. I don't know if I'd be able to live with myself if the last things I said to my family were in anger."

"This is a different situation," Percy said softly, trying to give himself more confidence in what he was doing was right, although it wasn't working well.

"You have to re-evaluate what's important to you," Buffy said, continuing more softly. "The question of loyalty is a big one and if it tears you from your family forever, so be it. I just hope you can live with your choice," with that said, Buffy walked away, leaving a shell-shocked Percy behind.

Buffy walked away from Percy feeling angry that he would have let something so stupid come between his family. He had something so wonderful and he was just going to throw it away. Stupid boy.

Buffy stormed out of the Ministry and approached the floo port angrily. There was no line for the outgoing ports so she grabbed a handful of powder and threw it into the fire. "St. Mungo's," she said loudly.

"It's nice to see that they have some visitors," the nurse said as she opened the door. "Very few people come and see them; it's usually just poor Neville and his grandmother."

"I bet it's hard on him," Buffy said softly, following the kind nurse.

"Yes, I believe it is. They can't even recognize their own son. He's a brave one," she said.

"I'll leave you alone," she said, addressing the group.

Giles, Willow, Xander and Anya had all agreed to meet Buffy at the hospital, after getting directions of course. They might not have been wizards and witches, but no one knew that; no one even suspected. Buffy had given them directions on how to get access from the streets of London and so they were granted access as Visitors. Muggles wouldn't have known how to get inside.

"Thank you," Buffy said. The nurse left the room and Buffy walked over to the wall, pausing before she pulled back the curtain that separated the room.

"Do you really think you're ready, Buffy?" Giles asked, wiping his glasses.

Buffy turned sharply and looked at Giles. "What did you just say?"

"I asked if you were ready," Giles said, confused. "It won't be easy to see them like this."

"Oh, right." Buffy took a deep breath to calm herself down, but she didn't feel right. Something felt wrong. Giles had just said the exact thing her mom, Joyce, once said to her before all Hell broke loose with Angel.

"I'm fine," she said. She pulled back the curtain and walked over to the beds. "Frank? Alice?" The two looked up upon hearing someone approaching. "Hi."

She didn't really get a response. Upon looking in their eyes, it didn't look like much was going on; they looked almost dead.

"Willow?" Buffy asked, turning towards her friend.

"I don't know. I mean, maybe, but I don't think so." The red head walked over to the couple and tried to interact with them, trying to get them to talk. They didn't really say anything and they didn't understand much. After about ten minutes, Willow gave up.

"I don't think so, Buffy; this is a different situation. I mean, Glory took something out of her victims minds. Tara was more responsive than them."

"I don't understand," Buffy said. "I didn't think that the curse could do something like this. I mean, other people have been victims of the curse and theirs is the only situation like this."

"Each case is different, just as each person is different," Giles said. "Some of the victims die, others are just in excruciating amounts of pain for awhile. It all depends."

"But for both of them to be like this? I don't think so."

"Maybe they both got hit with the curse at the same spot, which ended up frying some parts of their brain or nerve connections," Willow suggested.

"I don't know; I don't think so," Buffy said, looking at the couple playing with the bedcovers.

"Buffy, you can't fix everything," Xander said.

"Isn't there something you can do, Willow? You pulled a bullet out of my chest and closed the wound, can't you help them?" Buffy pleaded.

"No. I mean, for one, I was all dark magic mama at the time, and two, the brain is too fragile to mess with; I might kill them."

"You helped Tara!"

"That was a different situation!"

"I just feel that there's something more here. I'm getting this weird feeling, almost darkness, whenever I look at them. I know that it sounds weird, but somehow I know that they aren't like this because of that curse."

"What about another curse?" Anya suggested. "I mean, who's not to say that they're not under another one?"

"The mediwitches check for signs of magic when they're first admitted," Buffy said.

"But not everything can be found by a simple spell. I mean, we're talking about dark magic here, almost anything is possible."

"Willow? Do you think you could check?" Buffy asked, her hope rising once again.

Willow gave a small sigh. "I can try," she said doubtfully. She didn't want Buffy to get hurt again. She closed her eyes and focused on the two people in front of her, searching them over for magic signatures or traces. "I don't feel anything," Willow said.

Buffy let out the breath she'd been holding, but her heart skipped its next beat when she heard Willow.

"Wait. There's something faint. I don't know what it is." The redhead tried harder, looking at the auras of the Longbottoms. There was something dark black slithering this way and that. It was so small that she almost didn't see it within the swirls of colour. "It's something... I don't know what though..."

Suddenly, Willow flew backwards off her feet, as if pushed by an invisible force.

"Willow!" Buffy yelled, running over to help her friend stand up.

"Whoa," Willow said, a trickle of blood running down her nose. "That was some dark stuff."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just, wow. And ow."

"What was that?" Xander asked.

"Someone didn't want them to be messed with. Someone wanted them punished," Willow said.

"Can you fix them?" Anya asked. "They're starting to creep me out; they keep staring at me."

"No, it's too dangerous," Xander said. "Look, you're bleeding."

Willow absently wiped the blood away and stood up. "They're trapped, Buffy. They can't get out."

"You got all that from a little reading?" Anya asked, impressed.

"Yeah. I can help them, but I need help," she said, turning to Buffy.

"Anything," Buffy said. "But you are okay, right? And by helping, you're not going to get hurt, are you?"

"I don't think so, but this might be a little rough."

"Okay," Buffy said. "What do you need me to do?"

Sometime later, Willow and Buffy were each holding one of Alice's hands as she lay unconscious on her bed. "Now, make sure there are no interruptions," Willow said. "I need quiet."

Willow had set up a small room of sorts, separating herself and Buffy away from the rest of the group and Frank. They were to play cover if someone happened to walk in.

"Ready?" Willow asked Buffy.

"Ready," Buffy answered. They both closed their eyes and concentrated as Willow's voice chanted around them softly.

Buffy let the foreign words wash over her as she concentrated on the woman she was trying to help. She hadn't known Alice or Frank all that well, as they were both older than her in school, but she had run into them a couple of times and they were always nice to her.

Buffy let herself enter into a meditative state and she was unaware of anything around her.

Finally, Buffy opened her eyes. It was completely dark and she was nowhere. There was nothing around her, no indication of anything but emptiness. The darkness seemed to grow deeper and a mist of some sort slowly emerged.

"Hello?" Buffy yelled out. "Is anyone there?"

It didn't seem like the best thing to yell out in the darkness, but it was the only chance she had. She had no idea where to go. She held up her hand in front of her face and saw nothing. It was too dark. "Great," Buffy muttered.

"Hello?" Buffy yelled again. This time she thought she heard something very soft, but she had no idea what direction it came from. "Hello?" She yelled again.

"Where are you?"

She listened hard for a reply, but was only greeted with a growing feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Something else was here.

She turned around slowly, sensing it behind her, but as soon as she did, something hard rammed into her, throwing her backwards. Buffy landed hard and tried to look around. There was nothing anywhere, but she felt that the threat still loomed.

"Okay, invisible girl again," Buffy said. She closed her eyes and used her senses. She had no idea what was down here, but she knew if felt evil. This must have been the darkness that she felt around the Longbottoms. It was actually inside of them, holding them captive in their own minds.

Buffy felt something behind her and gave a back kick, but only hitting air. She let her breathing get slower and let the atmosphere wash over her.

There! On her left. Buffy gave a quick roundhouse kick and felt her foot connect with something solid. Buffy turned to face the direction she just kicked and began to feel with her senses. It didn't seem that her blow had damaged it at all.

She felt something coming at her and she lifted her arm to block, before sending her own punch. The two began to fight. Really fight.

The blows began to get harder and the pace of the fight picked up rapidly. It seemed that nothing that Buffy sent the demon's way phased it, although she was feeling a little sore.

'I need a weapon of some kind!' Buffy thought. 'I can't defeat this with my hands.'

"Use magic!" Willow's voice echoed in her mind. "You have magic within you, use it. You don't need a wand."

Buffy was startled by Willow's voice suddenly in her mind; she paused just long enough for the demon to get another hit in, one that tossed her far in the air. Slamming into the ground, Buffy lost her breath for a moment. She could feel it coming for her and she knew she had to do something.

She looked inside herself and found the magical core that Willow had once showed her. She tried to control her power, griping just enough to do some damage. She could feel the power beginning to radiate off of her and she could feel the demon pause right above her. It was scared.

Opening her eyes, Buffy let light flood the area she was in. The bright light that came from her hands illuminated everything; it was brighter than Buffy had expected and she had to close her eyes against it.

Buffy heard the demon scream in pain and agony as the light cut through its darkness, its home. The demon was pure darkness, no light and no love. If fed off fear and darkness, controlling everything that was within its reach.

The demon continued to howl as the light pierced its dark exterior, shedding light onto every corner of its space and being.

After what felt like an eternity, the howling ceased and Buffy lay back, exhausted by the use of magic. Buffy let the magic coming from her hands die out, and she opened her eyes. The demon was gone and the area she was in was much lighter, but still empty.

She took a breath and looked around her, trying to find something. "Hello?" she called again.

A sound came from Buffy's right, much clearer this time.

Buffy got up and walked in the direction the noise came from. She saw Alice lying on her back and stirring slightly. She rushed over and knelt down beside the woman. "Alice?" Buffy asked.

The woman stirred again, tossing her head to the other side and allowing a moan to escape her lips.

'That's what the sound was,' Buffy thought.

"Alice, come on. It's time to wake up," Buffy said, shaking the woman gently.

The woman's head turned towards Buffy and her eyes slowly opened.

And suddenly, Buffy was back in her own body, watching as Alice opened her eyes in her own bed.

Alice looked around herself, confused, before bolting upright in her bed, gasping.

"Easy, easy," Willow said.

"It's okay," Buffy comforted, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You're back. Nothing's going to hurt you anymore." 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 22: THE LONGBOTTOMS 

Alice was breathing heavily and her eyes darted about the room, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"It's okay, calm down," a redhead beside her said.

"You're safe now," a different lady told her.

Alice was so confused. She had no idea what was happening. One minute she was at home with Frank and the next she was in a strange white room. Was it a hospital? Why couldn't she remember what happened? She thought back to the last thing she could remember...

She was at home. With Frank and Neville. Neville! Where was Neville? She tried to say something, but all that would come out was a little groan. She couldn't speak! Why couldn't she speak!

"Here's some water," the redhead said, holding out a glass to her.

Alice took it and greedily chugged it down. The cool liquid felt good against her throat. She handed back the empty glass and tried again.

"Ne... uh, Ne... uh," she said, getting very frustrated.

"Neville?" the blonde asked after a moment's thought. The woman nodded in relief. "He's safe. He's at Hogwarts."

Alice looked confused. Why would her baby boy be at Hogwarts? Maybe Dumbledore decided to take him there for protection. The Death Eaters could be com...

'The Death Eaters!' Alice thought suddenly. She remembered. They had come to her house and demanded the location of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. They had threatened little Neville and the pain... oh the pain... Alice shuddered. It was overwhelming, all encompassing pain.

Alice's breathing was returning to normal and her worry was lessened. Someone must have arrived and saved them. They must have brought Neville back to Hogwarts while she was recovering. But recovering where? Her eyes began to roam around, trying to find clues of her location.

"We're at St. Mungo's," the blonde told her, as if she could read her mind.

Alice's eyes widened in astonishment. Was she really that badly injured? But then, she couldn't be at St. Mungo's because it was too... well, cosy. Not that it was anything special, but the room she was in was far nicer than other rooms she had stayed at. Being an Auror, she had been a resident of the hospital a couple of times, but this didn't look like it at all.

There were flowery curtains drawn up around them and there were dressers around her bed, several plants lining the top. Was that a mimbulus mimbletonia? Those are supposed to be very rare.

Alice's eyes continued on and noticed that she was wearing a rather flimsy nightgown of sorts. How long had she been here? And who were these people?

"Alice, I know you're disoriented and worried, but we don't have that much time here. We're only here to help you, okay?" the redhead told her gently.

"You were under a spell; dark magic," the blonde said, "and your husband is as well. We need you to sit with our friends out there while we help Frank in here, okay?"

'Frank? They got Frank too? Oh, please let him be okay! Please!' Alice thought, tears forming in her eyes. Why did they have to do this? What had they ever done?

Alice nodded numbly. She had to trust them; they had helped her and she'd do anything to make sure her husband was okay as well. Maybe they were new healers, although they looked out of place with their black robes.

"I'm Willow and this is B..."

"Sarah," the blonde said with a smile and a quick glance at the redhead, Willow.

They helped her up and led her out past the curtain. There were several people sitting around quietly, surrounding a bed with an older looking man on it. 'Frank?' Alice thought as she got closer. 'But it can't be! He's too old!'

Alice was frantic and looked at the two helping her along. Her muscles weren't all that strong for some reason and she seemed to only be able to shuffle her feet. What was going on?

"Wh... wha?" she tried to speak, becoming more frustrated with her sore throat. What was happening?

The redhead looked at Alice, trying to understand, then she looked at Frank on the bed and something seemed to click. "Oh," she said with wide eyes.

"What? Is everything okay?" the blonde, Sarah, asked.

"It's just... she doesn't know," Willow said quietly. "She doesn't know anything."

'Tell me!' Alice thought desperately. She saw the blonde's eyes widen in understanding and looked at her with something akin to pity in her eyes.

"Alice? I know this is going to be really hard, but you have to stay calm for me, okay?"

'Calm? Calm! I am calm, now would somebody please tell me what the bloody hell is going on?' Alice thought, although she nodded at the blonde.

"The Death Eaters came, do you remember that?" Alice nodded.

"And they tortured you, right?" Another nod. "They wanted information from you and you wouldn't give them any, right?" Nod. "Do remember what happened next?"

Alice thought back, trying to recall anything. She remembered a girl with long black hair, demanding information that they couldn't give. She had threatened them, tortured them, almost killed them, but decided that they should be punished.

She said... she said... Alice thought hard, willing the memories to come back. Alice could hear the woman's laugh as she said that death would be too pleasant for them, death would be a mercy. She was going to curse them so that... so that... they'd be trapped forever in their own mind.

Alice's eyes popped back open in surprise as the memories of that night came flooding back. She remembered the excruciating pain she'd been in while they held her under the Crucio curse. She didn't think the pain could get worse, but it did. Once they put the spell on her, it was like darkness had crawled inside her. She tried to fight it, she didn't want it to take her, but she was so weak; she didn't have any strength left.

How long had she been like that? How long had she been trapped inside her own mind, alive but not in control. On some level she had been coherent, allowing her body to move and do simple tasks. It didn't want her dead and it didn't want her to be free; it had kept a tight lease on her so as not to arouse suspicion or too much pity. It didn't want anyone to kill her to put her out of her misery, so she had to look alive and somewhat active.

Buffy was watching Alice carefully and she knew when Alice remembered everything that had happened. "You've been gone for awhile," she said.

Alice turned her head and looked anxiously at her; she wanted to know. "Fourteen years," Buffy said quietly.

Alice froze in shock. It couldn't be... fourteen years? No... no! Alice looked around frantically, trying to find something that would tell her the truth. This had to be some kind of trick. Her eyes landed on a calendar that was flipped to the month of September, a unicorn dancing around the year.

Alice backed away frantically as she tried to wrap her mind around all this new information. "Nah, nah, No!" Alice yelled, as tears welled up in her eyes. Her life was gone. Everything that had been hers was gone. Neville! Poor Neville! What had happened to him!

"Calm done, please," the blonde begged. "We can't have anyone coming in here!"

She wouldn't. She couldn't. How would she feel if fourteen years were taken from her? She would never be able to see her baby boy grow up! She'd missed watching over her precious child! All the things she should have been able to do were gone! Forever! She had wanted to give Neville a brother or sister to play with, she had wanted to watch as her children grew older, got their letters to Hogwarts, and developed their magic.

Now he was fifteen and she had missed it all!

Alice was growing more and more frantic, and Buffy could tell she was about to break out into loud sobs. They couldn't have anyone coming to investigate. They weren't done yet. Buffy pulled out her wand and pointed it at Alice. "Stupefy," she muttered. A red spark shot out of the wand and hit Alice in the chest, causing her to collapse suddenly.

"Buffy!" Willow cried. "Was that really necessary?"

"She's going to have to face what's happened sometime," Giles said. "Putting it off won't help anything."

"I know. I just need her to keep quiet so we can help Frank," Buffy said.

Giles looked at his charge, worried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you look awful," Anya said.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired," Buffy said. "That took a lot out of me. More than I thought."

"Are you sure you're up to it again?" Willow asked. "We can stop, we don't have to do this."

"Yes we do," Buffy said determinedly.

"Buffy," Giles said quietly in understanding. "You can't help everyone, you know that."

"We know we can help them, so let's do it."

"I agree, but you can't sacrifice yourself. If you're too tired, things can go awry."

"I'm fine. We have to do this now. Neville needs both his parents, not just one."

"Helping Neville won't bring back your own family, Buffy," Giles said softly.

"I know," Buffy said after a moment. "I know what it's like to lose almost everyone you care about, and I don't want that to happen to anyone else. If I can help them, I will." With that said, Buffy magically carried Frank to the bed on the opposite side of the curtain.

"Come on, Willow," she said while Xander put Alice on the now unoccupied bed.

Giles sighed and took off his glasses to clean them and Willow began the spell again.

Buffy was in the dark place again, only she was much more tired than before. How she did this the first time was beyond her.

Out of nowhere, a force shoved her from behind, causing her to fly across the plane and fall hard on the ground. "You really need to work on your manners; that's no way to welcome guests," Buffy said, frustrated and sore.

She knew fighting it would be pointless so she quickly tried to reach inside herself to find the light again. She was forced to roll over before she could, but she wasn't fast enough and a clawed hand swiped her back, causing her to cry out in pain.

Giles, Anya, and Xander all looked sharply up, upon hearing Buffy's yell. They rushed over to the curtain and pulled it back.

Buffy was sitting in her chair, one hand gripping Frank's, the other hand held in Willow's. There were three long marks down her back, dripping blood.

"That's not supposed to happen, is it?" Xander asked, worried for his friend.

"No, it's not," Giles said.

"It didn't do that before," he said.

"Buffy's tired and her strength is waning, causing her to be perceptible to the injuries."

"What?" Xander asked.

"Her strength is what kept the injuries in the plane that she's in; if she gets hurt there, it stays there, her body is unaffected. Now her mind and body are exhausted and the injuries will manifest onto her real body."

"Well, let's stop them. Wake them up."

"We can't," Anya said. "If you stop them or wake them up before they're ready something bad could happen."

"And this isn't bad?" Xander asked, pointing at Buffy's bloody back.

"I mean something worse. They're minds aren't with their bodies at the moment, should you wake them up, you'll disturb the entire spell, safety wards included. You just have to wait."

"I'm afraid she's right," Giles said. "There's no telling what could happen should we disturb the spell."

"What if it kills her in there?" Xander asked. "What will happen to her here?"

"She'll die."

This was not going too well.

Buffy was thrown once again, she flew through the air and landed none too gently, knocking the air out of her.

She had just seconds before it caught up to her again. It had already twisted her ankle and bitten her on the arm, driving its fangs through her skin and fracturing her bone. She couldn't take much more of this. She had to end it now.

She found her magical core, much less spectacular than the first time, and tried to shine some light. It wasn't nearly as powerful and bright as before, and the demon thing wasn't affected as much either. The darkness was still all around her as the light only lit up the immediate area instead of banishing the evil.

It was breaking apart, sure, but slowly. Ever so slowly. Small beams of light on its surface caused it's 'skin' to melt away, but it wasn't enough. Buffy tried to force more light, but she was exhausted. It would eventually melt away, but that was going to take time, hoping it won't do anything in the meantime.

The demon sensed its foe's waning strength and prepared to use it to its advantage. It came charging at Buffy, who was sitting up with some difficulty.

She saw the demon coming, but couldn't stop it, she couldn't move quickly enough. The closer the demon came to her, the more it broke apart, as the light was stronger near its source, but the light was fading.

It wasn't enough.

Buffy braced herself for the impact, but it never came.

The demon dove at her and instead of colliding with her, it went in her, throwing her backwards with the momentum of his run.

Sitting in the room, the gang could only watch as injuries began appearing on Buffy's body. They couldn't even touch her for fear of waking her up.

Her right forearm was a bloody mess; they didn't even know how she managed to stay hand in hand with Willow.

Suddenly, Buffy was thrown backwards, toppling over the chair and slamming into the curtain with great force, pulling it down around her. Frank sat up suddenly with a gasp of air and Willow's eyes snapped open at the sudden loss of contact.

"Buffy!" everyone yelled, rushing to help their fallen friend. They tried to untangle their blonde friend from the curtains but were having a lot of difficulty. Finally they managed to pull her free and help her up.

She didn't look good. She was very pale and her forehead was slick with sweat. "Buffy, are you okay? What happened?" Willow asked, up righting the chair and leading her over to sit down.

"I don't know... I'm really tired," Buffy said as her eyes became unfocused. She just wanted to sleep.

"Buffy, stay with us. We'll bring you back to Hogwarts, okay? You can get treated there," Giles said, remembering what she had told them about the Hospital Wing. "Can you make us a portkey?"

Buffy opened her eyes again. "No, I'm fine," she said thickly. "We're already at a hospital. I don't like hospitals."

"I think it would be a little weird for a visitor to be maimed in the hospital," Xander said. "Giles is right, we need you to get you to Hogwarts. We'll say a dog attacked you."

"A big dog," Buffy said deliriously. "A big, black scary dog. With fangs."

"Yes, that's right." Xander said. "Can you make us a portkey?"

"Uh huh," Buffy said, pulling out her wand and waving it around unsteadily.

"Or, how about I do that?" Willow said, taking the wand. "What are the words again?"

"You can't do it. Only me. My wand. Won't work for you."

"I'm sure it will, what are the words?"

"Pork? Porksus Nope. Not right," Buffy said shaking her head violently. "Can't think. Headache."

"Porksus?" Giles said thinking. "It's based in Latin, so it should be .. "

"Portus!" Willow said, pointing her wand at a bubblegum wrapper. "Here, touch this."

"I'll take her, it won't do well to have all of us show up. Plus, I'm the only British one here," Giles said.

"Okay," Willow said. "Hurry."

Giles grabbed Buffy's left arm and forced her to hold onto the wrapper while he grabbed on as well.

"I hope she's okay. It wouldn't be good if she lost her mind," Anya said.

"She'll be okay," Xander said, wrapping an arm around Anya and pulling her close, as much for his own comfort as for hers.

"Oh!" Willow said suddenly, looking wide eyed at Frank who had been staring at them the whole time. "Hello?" she offered feebly.

Giles and Buffy materialized right in the middle of a long hallway, which was thankfully empty. Willow had never been to Hogwarts and didn't know which place to think about, so she just thought about Hogwarts in general.

"Come on, Buffy," Giles said, picking her up. Her ankle was twisted and she couldn't stand anymore.

"Sarah. Not Buffy," she chided, pointing her finger at him like an adult would at a naughty child.

"Right, I'm sorry. Now, where is the hospital wing?" he asked her.

"Don't know. Haven't been in long time."

"Naturally," Giles said, frustrated with her fear of hospitals.

"I'm fine. Just wanna sleep."

"No. You probably have a concussion. You can't sleep."

"But I wanna," Buffy said, pouting.

"Do stop that," Giles said looking away. He began walking down the deserted hallway, hoping to run into someone when a ghost suddenly flew through one of the walls, startling him so much he almost dropped Buffy.

"Oh, hello," the ghost said pleasantly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Can you please tell me where the hospital wing is?" Giles said. He was glad that Buffy had told them all about Hogwarts, as he would probably be running away from the ghost otherwise.

"Oh, is she okay?" the ghost said, noticing the girl in his arms for the first time. "Is that the new professor?"

"Yes it is, now if you don't mind?" Giles asked impatiently.

"Of course, follow me. By the way, my name is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington. I don't recall seeing you here before."

"I don't work here. I'm just here to drop her off. She got attacked by a big dog."

"A dog? That wouldn't be Fang would it?"

"Fang? He had big fangs," Buffy mumbled. "Big black bad dog. Bad."

"Oh, I guess it's not Fang. Good thing to, otherwise Hagrid would have been devastated."

"Where is everyone?" Giles asked, wondering why he had yet to see anyone.

"They're all at dinner," he answered. They wandered through several halls and up several staircases before Sir Nicholas stopped beside a door.

"Here we are. I hope she'll be okay."

"Thank you," Giles said, rushing into the room. "Hello? Hello?" he called.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" a woman asked, rushing out of her office. "Oh dear," she said upon seeing the battered professor. "What happened?"

"A dog attacked her."

"A big dog. Big dog," Buffy said as she was laid down on a bed. "No. No! No hospitals," she said, struggling.

"She has a fear of hospitals," Giles explained as he held her down, which was considerably easier than it should have been.

"I had a student years ago who was afraid of hospitals also. It was very strange," she said, rushing to get all the potions she needed.

"Here, make her drink this, it should calm her down."

Giles struggled to get her to drink something, which was complicated because she kept struggling. "Oh, do quite being difficult," he said harshly, causing her to stop and whimper.

"I'm sorry, but drink this," he said, handing over the potion. She accepted it without too much more of a struggle and began to calm down.

"Good," the nurse said, coming back into the room with a tray of different coloured bottles. She took her wand and pointed at the right arm and muttered an incantation, causing the bone to heal in seconds.

Giles could only stand back and watch as she worked, wistfully thinking how useful all these spells and potions would have been to them over the years.

"Well, that should do it," she said. "She still has a fever, but I gave her some dreamless sleep potion so she'll rest it off. I don't want her out of this bed yet."

Giles nodded his agreement and watched as she left them before turning his attention back on his young charge. "What happened to you?"

Buffy's pale face was not peaceful as she laid on the bed, twisting and turning every so often. He couldn't be certain, but it didn't look as if the dreamless sleep potion had worked.

A couple hours later, dinner was well over and kids were pretty much all in their dorms, as it was almost curfew.

The large front doors opened and revealed a fully clothed, less ragged and happier looking couple than what was found in St. Mungo's earlier. The quickly walked down the hall together, anxious looks on their faces.

The redhead, Willow, had filled them in on everything that she could. She told them were to find their son and helped them get dressed. They didn't want to make a big scene, not yet, and so they quietly escaped from St. Mungo's. They wanted to see Neville before the media had a riot over their miraculous recovery.

Willow had explained the situation that they didn't want to be hassled by the press, so they asked the two of them not to mention any names. At all. They had just wanted to help them out without any reward, although the Longbottoms were definitely grateful and would show their appreciation somehow.

They had basically saved their lives; they weren't about to go against their wishes.

The couple had taken showers and had taken a potion Willow brew up that would make them feel more revitalized. They weren't younger, they were just healthier; staying in a hospital for fourteen years doesn't do anything for one's looks. Now they looked as if they had aged gracefully, as opposed to suddenly.

Alice's hair was no longer limp and white; instead, it was shiny and blonde. Her muscles weren't as atrophied as they had been and she could now speak again. She had barely spoken in fourteen years and her throat was still a little sore.

The couple had thanked them over and over again, after they had gotten over the initial shock, which took a good amount of time.

Now the only thing they wanted to do was find their son. Everything else could wait. Unfortunately, all they knew was that he was in Gryffindor. They didn't even know what he looked like, but they hoped they'd be able to recognize them upon sight.

They were walking down the hallways, trying to reach the Gryffindor common room when Minerva McGonagall stepped around the corner and froze upon seeing them.

"Minerva!" Frank and Alice cried, rushing forward to greet their old professor. She may have aged in the fourteen years they'd been gone, but it was obvious who it was. The wand that was pointed in their direction stopped them.

"What do you think you're doing?" Professor McGonagall said furiously. "That has got to be the worst thing any of you could have done," she said. "How did you even get here?"

"We apparated to Hogsmeade and walked," Frank said slowly.

"And what did we do wrong?" Alice said.

"How could you?" she spat out. "Alice and Frank? That's just the most despicable... " She started, but couldn't finish. Tears were forming in her eyes, even though a look of hatred shot out from them.

"Minerva, please, just let us explain," Frank said. "It really is us."

Amazingly enough, another professor rounded the corner and stopped dead upon seeing the trio. "What is going on?" he asked, completely taken back.

"Severus, get Albus now."

Snape nodded and quickly rushed off. Normally he probably would have argued, but this situation was far more important...

"Minerva, really, I know this may seem a little strange, but it is us," Alice said. "We just want to see Neville."

"You won't get anywhere near him or any other student," McGonagall said. She couldn't bring herself to curse them because they didn't have their wands up and they looked too much like her students, who later became colleagues, in the fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and friends.

"Please," Alice begged. She was so close to her son and yet she couldn't get to him. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she leaned into her husband's embrace.

"Stop that," McGonagall said. There was no way the couple in front of her could be the Longbottoms, they were just very convincing at their job.

"Fine, we'll just wait," Frank said calmly. He too wanted to see his son, but he knew that arguing wasn't going to help anything. He'd waited fourteen years, a couple more minutes was nothing.

Finally, after a lot more staring and silence, Albus Dumbledore arrived with Snape. And he was furious. "What do you think you're doing here?" he asked. "What do you want?"

"Look, Albus, it really is us," Alice said, even though she was a little frightened by the power emanating from the old man in front of her. "I know this is hard to believe, but we've been under a spell, dark magic for the past fourteen years."

"Really? And now you've just chosen to free yourself of it? I find that hard to believe," Snape sneered.

The couple shared a brief glance that didn't go unnoticed by anyone.

"Actually, we had some help, but they didn't want to be named so we promised them we wouldn't talk about them," Frank said.

"I think after saving our lives, it's the least we could do," Alice said.

"How did you know that you were under a spell?" McGonagall asked suspiciously. "They just suddenly showed up after fourteen years and decided to help you?"

The Longbottoms were speechless for a moment. In all the excitement they had forgot to ask why. The two shared a similar look of surprise and confusion before Alice answered, "I guess so. We really don't know who they are, why they helped us, or how they knew. At the moment, I really didn't care."

"Look, this has been fun and all, but can we please see Neville?" Frank asked.

"I'm still not sure Headmaster," Snape said.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were just heading up to bed when they overheard voices in the corridor; it didn't sound like anything good was happening. They immediately hugged the wall and tried to listen to what they were saying.

Harry looked around the corner and was stunned to see the two people standing there. "It can't be!" he whispered.

"What?" Hermione asked silently. It wouldn't do to get caught; Snape would flay them for sure.

"It's Neville's parents!"

"So, what's so weird about that?" Ron asked. "They probably just wanted to see their son."

"And have three wands pointed at them? I don't think so," Hermione said. "Are they evil?"

"No," Harry said, still shocked. He debated on telling them the news he had promised Dumbledore he wouldn't. It really wasn't their business and if Neville didn't want anyone to know, he wasn't going to tell. But the news was going to come out for sure when word of this situation ran around the school. "They're supposed to be at St. Mungo's. In the terminally ill section."

"So they got better. So what?" Ron asked, and had to control his shout when Hermione smacked him.

"How do you know that?" Hermione asked.

"Dumbledore told me. I was in the Pensive last year and I saw the trial for Crouch and the Lestranges. They had tortured the Longbottoms to the point of insanity, trying to get information about Voldemort. Supposedly anyway," Harry said. He was getting angry with Dumbledore for lying to him, but then he calmed down as he realized that this situation probably backed his word. His wand was levelled at the couple and he didn't look too happy.

"So, that's not the Longbottoms?" Hermione asked. "Who is it?"

"Great, another case of Polyjuice potion," Ron said. "It's very difficult to tell who're the good guys and who're the bad guys if they keep using that stuff."

"I think that's the point, Ron," Hermione said, shushing him so they could hear again.

"Tell us something that only you would know," McGonagall suggested. "If you really are Frank and Alice, you can prove it."

"That's a fair suggestion," Dumbledore said evenly.

The Longbottoms looked at each other, trying to think about what they could say. "The woman who attacked us had long black hair," Alice suggested. "She was really crazy."

"Nothing about that night," Snape said. "No one was there but you; besides, everyone knows Bellatrix cursed you. She got sent to Azkaban for it."

"Good," Frank said.

Snape rolled his eyes and said, "Anything else?"

"The reason why we were targeted," Alice said suddenly, looking intently at Dumbledore. "We weren't sure who it would be; the..." she looked quickly at Snape and McGonagall but figured it was fourteen years ago, surely they had to know. "The prophecy wasn't specific. Neville was born at the end of July too."

Dumbledore looked at her long and hard before lowering his wand. No one else knew about the two potential candidates for the prophecy. The Longbottoms had just been punished because the Death Eaters wanted their master back, not because they knew Neville might have been chosen.

McGonagall and Snape looked at Dumbledore with shock. They were Order members, and even if they didn't know the full extent of the prophecy, they did know that it existed. No one but Dumbledore himself knew what the entire thing said.

"How is it possible?" Dumbledore asked, astonished.

"I told you, these people helped us," Alice said with relief. "I can't really tell you more than that."

"They didn't want any attention," Frank added.

McGonagall was crying in joy and amazement while she stepped forward and embraced Alice. "You're okay! You're back!"

"This is truly special, and I wish that I could thank your helpers personally, but if they wish to remain anonymous, so be it. I'm glad you're back."

"Prophecy?" Harry asked. "What prophecy?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. "I'm sure we could look something up, though."

"Oh great, more time at the library," Ron complained.

After the hugs and greetings were over, Alice looked up at Dumbledore. "Can we please see Neville now?" she asked.

"Of course," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Oh, he's such a wonderful young man, I'm sure you'd be proud of him," McGonagall said. "I'll just go and get him, shall I? He'll be so happy!"

Just as he was walking away, a horrible, gut-wrenching scream tore through the silent corridors of the castle, startling all its occupants and awakening the others that had been asleep. Everyone jumped, their hearts beating faster as another terrible scream pierced the night.

Buffy was tossing and turning in her bed as Giles looked worriedly over her. She hadn't been sleeping easily at all, and he hadn't left her side. Something was terribly wrong with his slayer.

Images ran through Buffy's head, disturbing her sleep. An evil presence was inside her and was trying to take over her and she was seemingly powerless to stop it. She tried, but it was too strong; she was too weak. It was the thing that had the Longbottoms captive; it was in her now.

She would fight it; there was no doubt. She still had Harry and Sirius and Remus, not to mention Giles, Xander, Anya, and Willow, whom she promised she wouldn't give up. But she was so tired... 

Buffy watched helplessly as people fell down dead in a flash of green light, she saw people writhing on the floor as they screamed in pain. There were too many people, young and old, men and women, even little babies. Some fought, others didn't have time. There was so much pain. She could feel the pain as it tried to take over.

The potions she was given healed her and gave her a little more strength to fight back with. The demon thing was making her see things, making her feel things that she didn't want to feel. It was inside of her and it was so painful. Each little second that went by, each time it moved, got itself a stronger hold on her mind and body, a fresh wave of pain wracked her body.

More images came and she had to watch as she saw all her friends die one by one, starting with Willow and ending with Sirius. 'No,' she thought, 'Stop it!' But the evil would not stop its onslaught. She watched as Harry was murdered viciously, she watched as James and Lily were killed, trying to protect their son.

"Take Harry and go!"

'James!' Buffy tried to yell, trying to warn him, but she was unsuccessful and had to watch as her brother died in a flash of green. He had fought bravely, amazingly coming fairly close to getting away, but it wasn't enough.

'You should have been there,' a voice whispered in her head. 'He wouldn't have died if you were there.'

'Stop it!' Buffy yelled, bringing her hands up to her ears. It didn't want her to win; it just wanted to make her mad.

It was working.

The images kept coming, not very clearly, but coming nonetheless.

She saw a dark hooded man talking to a kneeling figure with a silver hand.

"Did you find it yet?" the high pitch voice asked.

"No, my lord," he said shakily. "They are guarding the prophecy. I am unable to get through the door."

"Not even in you're rat form?"

"N... no, the crack in the door is too small."

"Well, I need that prophecy," the voice said angrily. "Find another way in!"

"Y... yes, my lord."

Buffy tried desperately to hold on. It wouldn't take her. She wouldn't let it.

She was fighting a battle with herself and it wasn't turning out so good.

'Think about Sirius!' Buffy said, forcing herself to fight. It was a battle of will, and she had a strong will. But was it strong enough?

'Think about Sirius!' Buffy said again. 'And Harry. Remus. Willow. Giles. Xander. Anya.'

Buffy was gaining some ground; her will was becoming stronger and it's grip on her was receding the tinniest bit.

'Voldemort killed by family, I have to protect them!'

'Neither will live while the other survives,' a voice whispered in her head.

'Harry Potter,' something hissed.

"It's the girl," a voice whispered. "Elizabeth Potter."

"She's the one?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Buffy yelled. She was on the ground on her knees, trying to get out of her own mind. "Wake up!" she screamed at herself.

"But, you're just a girl," a young man said.

"That's what I keep saying."

The demon's hold slipped again. It tried to send more images at her, trying to break her will, but it had miscalculated. It had underestimated her strength.

"Buffy!" It was James yelling for her, trying to get her.

"James! James!"

"GET OUT!" Buffy screamed, her hands over her head. The evil force was losing it's hold on her; it was almost gone. She just had to push a little more...

"I love you," Sirius whispered, a phoenix pendant around her neck.

Buffy threw her head and arms back and screamed, the pain overwhelming her to such a degree that her physical body reacted. The scream was pain-filled and heart wrenching, causing Giles to grip her arm for support and worry, and Madame Pomfrey to come running out of her office.

"Come on! Fight it!" Giles urged her, as she tossed even more violently.

"What is going on?" the nurse asked as she saw the state the young woman was in.

"Fight it!" Giles yelled at her.

It was almost gone, but Buffy couldn't wait. Her body was dying from the pain it was causing her as she resisted.

Images of her life flashed through her eyes: when she was playing around with James, kissing Sirius, being taken, accepting her calling, finding her friends, defeating the First Evil's army. Her own mind was trying to help her out, giving her power over the demon.

"Who are you?" a demon with a vicious club asked.

Buffy looked up at him and smiled, "I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, and you are?"

"You have no idea who you are, what's to come," Dracula's voice whispered.

"It has begun," Tara's voice said softly.

Buffy's eyes flashed golden as she kneeled, huddled in on herself. She screamed again, pushing with all her might, trying to rid herself of the evil presence within her.

Giles sat by her side as she screamed again, a sound even more horrific than before.

Only this time, her yell was interrupted as she began to cough violently.

Giles rolled her onto her side, thinking she might begin to heave. He watched in horror as a dark cloud began to emerge from her mouth.

Madame Pomfrey held her hand over her mouth to cover her scream. "Merlin's beard!" she exclaimed.

"Come on," Giles said to Buffy once more.

Buffy continued to gag until the dark cloud stopped emerging, and then she lay back exhausted and unconscious.

The cloud hovered in the air above Buffy, trying to find another victim. It began to creep towards Giles when a bubble of some sort surrounded it. Giles turned to look at Pomfrey and noticed she had her wand out and pointed at the cloud.

"Thanks," he said with relief.

Madame Pomfrey just nodded shakily. "What kind of a dog did that?" 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 23: FAMILY 

Dumbledore knew the castle very well and could somehow sense that the blood curling screams were coming from the hospital wing. As he ran, McGonagall, Snape, Frank and Alice all rushed after him, frightened for the students and themselves, as well as determined to fight whatever or whomever they came across.

Unbeknownst to them, Harry, Hermione and Ron had followed them the whole way, keeping far enough behind to remain undetected. Hermione was insisting that they go back to the common room, although the two boys knew that it was more out of habit and respect for the rules than anything else. She was dying to know what was going on, just like Ron and Harry were.

"You don't think it's an attack, do you?" McGonagall asked Dumbledore quickly.

"I don't know," Dumbledore said honestly, "but I don't believe it is. I think it might just be a student in an excruciating amount of pain, as it is coming from the hospital wing."

"It's not Potter, is it?"

"No, I doubt he would ever go to the hospital wing willingly," Dumbledore said fondly, not realizing that there was a different Potter in pain, one that also despised hospitals. "Plus, the yell has too much of a feminine quality to it."

"Of course," McGonagall said, realizing her worry for Harry had overshadowed some of her rational thinking abilities.

"Do you worry about all your students this much Minerva, or is it just Potter?" Snape sneered.

"I care about the safety of all my students, Severus, as should you."

"Enough," Dumbledore said, interrupting Snape and ending the bickering.

The rest of the trip was made in silence and they finally came upon the hospital wing, bursting through the doors to a surprising sight.

"Well Hermione, all your hard work for nothing," Ron whispered good-naturedly, the trio still quite a bit behind the professors. "Harry's officially the teacher's pet."

"I am not," Harry said defensively.

"The first person McGonagall thought about was you," Ron pointed out.

"That's only because I'm usually the one screaming."

"He does have a point," Hermione said.

"Thank you," Harry said with a smile.

"He's the one that always does the stupid things that get him hurt. He really doesn't have much common sense," Hermione said, causing the smile to disappear and Ron to laugh.

"Hey!" Harry said with a scowl. He paused before adding, "You're just upset because you're not the teacher's pet."

Ron laughed harder while Hermione hit Harry's arm playfully and then smacked Ron upside his head to get him to shut up. "They'll hear us," Hermione she hissed.

"Who are you?" Snape growled at the older looking man wearing glasses. The elderly man looked to be hovering over, amazingly enough, the young blonde ministry employee, with Madame Pomfrey's wand pointing in his direction.

"Is everything all right?" Dumbledore asked, sensing no immediate danger as the man whipped around to look at the five adults that had barged in on the eerie silence of the room.

Madame Pomfrey nodded her head slowly, still trying to understand what happened.

Giles looked at the five wizards and witches and noticed that two of them looked awfully familiar.

Frank and Alice gasped at the sight of the elderly man and young woman that had saved their lives.

That's when it clicked that the two familiar people were the people he had left in St. Mungo's a few hours ago. 'Oh dear lord,' Giles thought with a sigh. This had the potential to be very revealing, and Buffy had made it clear she didn't want that to happen yet.

Assuming they actually believed her crazy story, what if they followed her in order to find Sirius? Buffy was very adamant that Sirius could not be sent back to Azkaban or killed by some crazy self-righteous people. And Giles would not let his Slayer down.

He stared back at the Longbottoms as they recognized his face and pleaded with his eyes not to say anything.

"Is something wrong?" McGonagall asked, turning to the Longbottoms. "Do you know him?"

It was the moment of truth. Giles silently prayed that they wouldn't say anything, while he averted his eyes from them to give up the appearance of familiarity.

"No," Frank said after a, thankfully, short pause. "At least, I don't think so. We really haven't met anyone in the time since we've been awake."

"It's just, she looks awful. Is she going to be okay?" Alice asked, putting her hand up to her mouth. Had she saved them only to end up like that herself? She couldn't live with herself if that had happened.

"What happened?" Dumbledore asked, turning back to Madame Pomfrey.

"I've never seen anything like it before in my life," the medi-witch said. "He came in here carrying her, saying she was attacked by a dog. I treated her wounds, but she wasn't responding to the fever-reducing potion. I went back into my office to put together something else and then she started screaming.

"I came back out here and saw she seemed to be struggling with something and then this, this thing started coming out of her mouth," Madame Pomfrey finished, pointing at the trapped dark cloud.

"That thing was inside of her?" McGonagall asked, surprised and frightened.

"It sure seemed that way."

'Dumbledore walked over to the floating ball and lifted his hand up to pluck it out of the air. "It's warm," he said. He held it up higher and looked inside it and the writhing black mass. "It looks to be a magical parasite," Dumbledore said upon analysis. "If I'm not mistaken, I think it's dying; it doesn't have a host to feed off of."

"How did it get into her?" McGonagall asked.

Dumbledore turned to Giles and lifted an eyebrow in question.

"I think we should start by answering my original question," Snape said at Giles' silence. "Who are you?"

"I'm her father," Giles said on a sudden impulse.

"A name would be nice," Snape drawled.

"Ethan Rayne," Giles said immediately, surprised at how that was the first thing out of his mouth.

"Indeed?" Snape said. "And here I was thinking that Ms Fox wasn't married."

"She's not," Giles said. "I'm her stepfather. Her dad died when she was younger, or might as well have," he added bitterly.

"Did you see what happened to her?" Dumbledore asked, trying to get back on track.

"No," Giles lied easily; perhaps his misspent youth wasn't entirely misspent. "She came over for supper and I had run out of milk, so I ran to the store to get some. When I came back, she was lying on the floor unconscious. She didn't look so well and she kept shaking, so I took her here."

"And how did you get here?"

"A portkey, is it?" Giles asked unsure.

"Are you a muggle?" Snape asked incredulously.

"Yes," Giles said, standing up a little straighter. "Is that a problem?"

"Forgive my colleague, he's just surprised you could get here by portkey if your daughter was unconscious."

"She had an emergency portkey made for me when she first took this job; in case I ever needed anything. Since her mom has died she's overly worried about me."

"How'd she die?" Alice asked despite herself.

"Brain tumour. There wasn't anything anyone could do about it. It was completely unexpected."

"I'm sorry," Dumbledore said seriously.

Giles just nodded thankfully. "It was years ago, but she's still having trouble with it. She was the one who found her."

"That's awful," McGonagall said, looking at the girl in a new light.

"Yes, it nearly broke her but she managed to pull through. She always does," Giles said quietly, looking at her fondly.

"It seems she has a very strong will indeed if she forced this out of her," Dumbledore said, holding up the ball again. "I'm not sure how it found its way to her, as curses of this magnitude are seldom used, but she managed to do what most wizards encountering these curses do not.

"I think with some rest she should be fine," Dumbledore finished, ushering everyone out of the room before Madame Pomfrey did it first. "You may stay at Hogwarts as long as you like," he offered before leaving.

"Thank you," Giles said as he resumed his place beside his 'daughter'.

"What are you going to do with that?" McGonagall asked as they left, referring to the trapped parasite thing.

"I'll keep it in my office until it dies, which shouldn't be long," Dumbledore answered. He turned to Frank and Alice. "I'm sorry we've kept you so long, I'm sure you're dying to see your son."

Frank and Alice smiled and excitedly followed Professor McGonagall.

"What do you make of that?" Ron asked Harry and Hermione. They had listened to the conversation with the help of Fred and George's Extendable Ears, as they had to stay far enough away to escape notice.

"I think we can talk about it later," Hermione said. "They're headed back to Gryffindor Tower and they're going to know something's wrong when we're not in bed. It's already way past curfew."

"One thing's for sure," Harry said as they ran back to their rooms, "There's a lot more to Professor Fox than we first thought."

"What do you make of this, Severus?" Dumbledore asked after McGonagall, Frank and Alice had left.

"He's lying."

"I'm not so sure," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

"There's definitely more going on than what he said," Snape insisted.

"That I agree with. And how did she come upon this curse?" Dumbledore asked, looking once more at the ball.

"I think there's more to Professor Fox than she lets on," Snape said, echoing a student's sentiments. "She's hiding something."

"But what?" Dumbledore asked. "And why?"

"Do you think she's a threat?" Snape asked, remembering Crouch and Quirrel from years past.

"I'm not sure," Dumbledore said. "But I think we should be cautious, especially since she's here on the Ministry's behalf."

Harry, Hermione and Ron rushed into the common room, miraculously making it ahead of the adults. Although, it wasn't that surprising considering they ran the whole way and knew all the secret passageways.

All three collapsed onto the couches in front of the fire, trying to catch their breath.

"We made it," Hermione gasped.

"Are you guys okay?" Ginny ran over to them, concerned.

"We've fine, why?" Ron asked.

"Why? Why!? Did you not hear the awful screaming?" Ginny yelled. "Everyone came down to the common room, all afraid something bad had happened, and guess who didn't show up? Just like usual, something bad happens and you three aren't around."

"Sorry, Ginny," Ron apologized sheepishly.

Harry and Hermione looked around the common room and realized that in their rush to make it back on time, they didn't notice how full the area was. Some of the students had opted to stay in their dorms, blocking the doors shut, while others had ventured out to be with their friends in the common room.

"Wow," Hermione said quietly. It seemed that in a time of apparent crisis, the Gryffindors could be counted on to stick by each other.

"So, what were you guys doing?"

"We were..." Harry started.

"At the library," Hermione finished. "I was trying to get them to finish their research for our Transfiguration essay and we lost track of time. We ran the whole way back, trying not to get caught by some teacher roaming the hallways."

"Especially Umbridge," Ron added with a grimace.

"Oh," Ginny said. She then reached up and swatted Ron on the back of the head.

"Bloody Hell! Ow!" Ron yelped.

"Don't swear, Ron," Hermione said automatically.

"What was that for?"

"For making me be all worried about you and you were off doing other things. I know you weren't at the library," she hissed before she stormed away.

The three friends just looked at each other in stunned silence. "Well, that went well, all things considered," Hermione said lightly.

"What? I got smacked and you think it went well?"

"Of course," Harry said with a smirk. "We didn't get smacked."

Ron just scowled and sank back into the couch.

Hermione was about to open her mouth when the portrait opened once more, allowing Professor McGonagall access.

Upon seeing the full common room, she stopped in shock. "What is going on? Why aren't you all in bed?"

Students rushed up to her, trying to get answers.

"What was that scream?"

"Is everyone okay?"

"Are we under attack?"

"Did someone get hurt?"

"No one's dead, are they?"

"What happened?"

"Is it over?"

"That's enough!" McGonagall said, not unkindly. "You're obviously worried, but everything is okay. Professor Fox just had an accident," she said, unsure of what she should tell them.

For the most part, students quieted down, talking amongst themselves, until one student yelled out, "Is she dead? Is she going to stay?" All the students laughed, thinking it wouldn't be awful if she didn't come back.

"I'd much rather have her than Umbridge," Fred spoke up.

"Yeah, she's hot!" George said, earning another round of laughter, and several mummers of agreement.

"Now, whenever we don't pay attention in class..." Fred continued.

"We have something interesting to look at!" George finished.

"She's fine and will be back to work on Monday. Now go to bed, all of you." As they all trooped up the stairs to their dormitories, she looked around for Neville but couldn't find him. She must have missed him in the crowd of students.

"Mr. Potter," she called out, as Harry was one of the last to file in.

"Yes?" he asked, pretending not to know what she wanted.

"Could you please send Mr. Longbottom down?"

"Sure, professor," he said and took the stairs as fast as he could with all the people still on them.

"Neville?" he asked, bursting into the room.

"What?" he called beneath his t-shirt he was trying to get over his head.

"Professor McGonagall wants to see you in the common room."

"What for?" he asked, getting nervous. "I didn't do anything, well, not that I remember."

"I'm sure you're not in trouble," Harry said, giving a quick glance at Ron to make sure he kept his mouth shut. "She probably just wants to congratulate you on standing up to Snape."

"Yeah, that was bloody brilliant what you did," Ron said, remembering the look on Snape's face.

"Well, I don't think she'd do that," Neville said with a blush. "Besides, I didn't really do anything."

"Well, go and see!" Seamus urged.

"I'd get dressed first if I were you," Harry said when Neville was about to go out in half his pyjamas.

"Right," he said sheepishly and quickly changed back into his school uniform. It'd be a little strange to talk to McGonagall in his pyjamas. What could she have to talk to him about anyway?

Neville nodded at his friends and left their bedroom.

"Professor?" he asked shakily, still having no clue what this was about. Was he going to get punished? He couldn't possibly get rewarded...

"Neville," she said with a smile. Were those tears in her eyes?

"Yes?" he asked anxiously.

"I have some great news," she said. "You might want to sit down for this."

Neville sighed with relief when he realized he couldn't be getting in trouble, as he hardly thought that was great news. Maybe Snape was getting fired?

"Neville, this may seem hard to believe, but Dumbledore, Snape and I have all looked into the matter, in a manner of speaking, and agree that this is no joke. It's real."

'Well, there goes that dream,' Neville thought when he heard that Snape had looked into whatever matter it was; he wouldn't be getting fired.

"It seems that your parents," McGonagall started.

"My parents?" Neville interrupted. "Are they okay? Is something wrong?" his heart beat rapidly in his chest. What could have happened to them? He might never have known who they really were, and they may not have ever comforted him or been there when he needed them, but it wasn't their fault. It was awkward, but they were his parents and he still loved them.

If anything else happened to them... someone was going to pay.

Eventually. Once he mustered up the courage to track them down.

"You're parents are fine. Better than fine, actually," McGonagall reassured gently. "The thing is, they weren't tortured to the point of insanity as everyone had once thought."

What?

"They've been under this spell that made it look like they weren't in control. Some people helped them out; we don't know who, but we know that somehow, someone finally caught on and undid the spell."

Neville's mind had frozen during her revelation. He had no idea what she was saying or going on about, but he got the gist of it. "They're okay?"

"Yes," McGonagall said with a smile. "They're more than okay."

'My parents are okay!' Neville thought. 'I have parents again!'

"Where are they?" he asked hoarsely. "Can I see them?"

"Of course," she said. "They're waiting for you. We thought it would lessen the shock if I told you before they appeared."

Neville stood up shakily. He was going to see his parents. And they would recognize him! They would know that he was their son.

What if they didn't like him? They hadn't known him in fourteen years; he wasn't a baby anymore. What if they thought he was a failure?

He could handle believing that his parents had once loved him and now didn't recognize him, but he couldn't handle them recognizing him and rejecting him.

Neville stopped in the middle of the common room.

"Neville?" Professor McGonagall asked curiously.

"I can't do this," he said quietly.

"What? Why not?" she asked amazed.

"What if they hate me? What if I'm not good enough? I mean, I'm not athletic, I can't play Quidditch, I'm not good at school, I'm entirely too clumsy and I can never remember anything. Why would they want me back?"

Professor McGonagall looked at the young man in front of her with shock written across her face. She had never realized how low this boy's self-esteem really was. He couldn't even face his parents because he was afraid they'd hate him!

"Neville, listen to me," she said, walking over to him. "You're parents love you."

"They love the baby me. They don't even know me."

"It doesn't matter," McGonagall insisted, loosing her strict appearance with the insecure boy. "They love you anyway. The first thing they did was to come to Hogwarts. They didn't even tell anyone they were okay; they snuck out of St. Mungo's to tell you themselves that they were okay. They wanted you to be the first to know; they wanted to see you more than anything.

"Neville," she continued as she could see her words were making some sense to him, "Your parents might not know who exactly you are, but to a parent, that doesn't matter. They love you no matter what. Who cares if you don't play Quidditch? Miss Granger can't fly at all! And Mr. Weasely isn't that good at school, but I happen to know that you're an exceptional Herbology student. Professor Sprout has come to me numerous times with compliments on your exceptional behaviour and progression.

"You didn't get placed into Gryffindor for nothing," she continued, trying her last tactic as she could tell she was almost through. "Get up your courage and go see your parents."

Neville knew what she was saying made sense. He was just scared by the sudden realization that he'd finally get to see his parents. It wasn't anything to be taken lightly. Deep down he knew that they would love him no matter what, but there were still lingering fears. She was right, though. He was a Gryffindor for goodness sake! If he could stand up to Snape, surely he could face his parents!

Neville nodded and slowly began making his way towards the portrait hole. McGonagall nodded in satisfaction and lead the way.

She opened the door and Neville's parents came through the opening. Neville was frozen in shock, fear and awe. It was his parents! They were there, in the flesh. They looked healthier and younger.

They were okay.

"Mum? Dad?" he asked quietly.

"Neville? Oh, Neville!" Alice said, tears coming to her eyes. She ran forward and wrapped her arms around her son, hugging him closely, not noticing Professor McGonagall stepped out to give the reunited family some privacy.

"Mum!" Neville asked again, happier this time, as he wrapped his arms around her. Tears came to his own eyes, but he wasn't ashamed of them; his family was back!

"My boy! Oh, my boy is all grown up and so handsome!" Alice said, stepping back to look at him properly and let Frank have his turn.

"Dad!"

"Neville!" Frank crushed his son to his chest, holding on tightly to the son he never thought he'd see again. Alice came forward and Frank and Neville pulled her into their hug. They really did love him and Neville was so overjoyed at having his family back.

They were together. No one ever thought they'd see this day, but it happened.

It was a miracle.

"What do you think McGonagall really wants with him?" Dean asked once Neville was gone.

"I'm not sure," Harry lied, "But we might not want to wait up for him. I'm really tired," he said with a fake yawn.

"Me too," Seamus said with a yawn, catching it from Harry.

"Man," Ron complained when he too had to yawn.

"They always sa... ay yawning is contagious," Dean said, his information being interrupted by a yawn.

"Goodnight," Harry said, climbing into his bunk. "I'm sure Neville will tell us in the morning."

"Yeah, goodnight."

It was a good thing that no one decided to wait for Neville, because Neville didn't come back upstairs that night. He and his parents spent all night talking and catching up.

Of course, no one else knew this, as they were all sleeping peacefully in their beds.

Well, almost everyone.

Harry slept on, tossing and turning, as he kept seeing a long dark hall and lots of doors around him. It was a recurring dream he'd been having. Sometimes he'd wake up and forget it, but not this time.

"The prophecy," a voice hissed at him. "It's yours, take it." 

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CHAPTER 24: THE NEXT MORNING

The next morning, Buffy groaned softly in her bed and tossed gently, opening her eyes slowly, awakening from her deep slumber. She blinked rapidly, clearing her vision and tried to discern where she was, because she definitely wasn't in her bed.

The place felt vaguely familiar, but her brain wasn't extremely quick that morning. The curtains on the windows were drawn, Giles was sleeping peacefully in a chair beside her bed, and everything around her was white.

Buffy groaned louder this time and flopped her head back on the pillow. She could only be in a hospital of some kind; she couldn't remember how or why, but she felt utterly exhausted.

Giles woke up from the sudden noise and looked down and smiled. "Buffy," he said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"Did you get the license plate on that bus?" she joked wearily.

Giles chuckled softly, remembering another time when that was said. "I think you'd have gotten new material," he said with a smile.

"Well, I have so many just floating around in here, and at the moment I can't remember which ones have been used by myself or other people."

"That was incredibly foolish what you did last night," Giles reprimanded.

Buffy was startled by the abrupt change of subject and it took a minute for her to answer. "What? What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Giles asked, startled.

"No," Buffy said, confused. "Did I get knocked out?" She began feeling her head, trying to tell if there were any noticeable bumps.

"Not in the strictest sense," Giles said. "What do you remember?"

"Not much," Buffy admitted after a minute. "It's all fuzzy. What happened?"

"We were at St. Mungo's with Alice and Frank; you insisted on helping them, endangering yourself in the process as you didn't stop when you clearly lacked the strength to continue."

"Oh," Buffy said, the memories coming back to her with the reminder. "Are they okay?" she asked anxiously. "Did we do it?"

Giles sighed at his slayer and her priorities; she was always more concerned about other people than herself, which would someday lead to her death. Again. Actually, thinking about it, he realized that she had always put other people first, not that there was anything wrong with that, it was just that she had a tendency to be a little reckless when she had a goal in mind. "We did it," Giles answered her softly. "They're awake and here, actually. I assume they met up with Neville last night."

"Good," Buffy said with a smile. "Good." Buffy lay back on the bed and closed her eyes briefly before answering Giles' next question.

Madame Pomfrey came bustling out of her office and noticed that her only patient was finally awake, and chatting quietly with Mr. Rayne. "Mr. Rayne!" she chastised. "Why did you not come to me immediately when she woke up?"

Buffy tensed up for a moment, thinking Ethan was somewhere close by. She looked around and noticed the chagrined face of Giles and was surprised when he answered.

'"I'm sorry, but she just woke up and I wanted to make sure she was feeling well."

Buffy's eyebrow raised slightly and her gaze seemed to ask the question 'Mr. Rayne?'

Madame Pomfrey left quickly and came back with a handful of multicoloured vials. "Here, drink this," she told the blonde. "You've been through quite a lot. I must be honest, after learning what really had a hold on you, I'm surprised that you had the strength to overcome that thing. I was so shocked, I didn't even realize that the Longbottoms were standing right in front of me, as if nothing had ever happened to them!"

Buffy choked slightly on the potion Madame Pomfrey was stuffing down her throat. The Longbottoms were in the hospital wing with her? Did they give her away? Buffy glanced at Giles and relaxed when he shook his head the tiniest bit.

"Now I want you to stay in bed for a couple of days. You've had a rough time of it and I want you to take it easy," she ordered.

"I don't think so," Buffy said, struggling to get up. "I don't do hospitals."

"Miss Fox, you will stay put until you're better," Madame Pomfrey said sternly. "I am the professional here and I will not tolerate any more nonsense!"

"Thank you," Buffy told her, freeing herself from her grasp. "But I'm fine. Really. And I refuse to stay in a hospital of any kind. I'm a grown woman and can decide for myself if I'm well enough to leave. And I am. So thank you and hopefully I won't see you anytime soon."

Buffy walked out, with Giles following behind, ignoring Madame Pomfrey's orders, pleas, and frustrated calls.

"Was that really necessary?" Giles asked, removing his glasses. "She was only trying to help."

"I know. I also know her, much better than you do at least, and she would have liked nothing more than to keep me there for a week with nothing to do and no one to talk to. Trust me, I've been there before."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Giles asked again.

"I'm fine. Especially after those potions; all my strength returned and most of my soreness gone!"

Giles nodded resignedly and listened while she told him the particulars of her struggle with the beast.

"It seems we have some research to do," Giles said, referring to Voldemort and the mentions of a prophecy.

"Yep. Why don't you get started on that while I teach here?" Buffy said slyly, trying to get out of more research.

Giles looked at her knowingly and Buffy decided to sweeten the deal. "I can give you a tour of this magical castle..." she tempted.

"Well, I should hope you have manners enough to do that anyway, as I am a guest," Giles said, making Buffy feel guilty.

"Fine," she relented, going back to her age-old tactic that had yet to fail.

"Stop that," Giles said, walking down the hallway. "I'm much older and wiser than you and will not be swayed by some silly little ploy of yours," he said. "Don't look at me like that," he said when Buffy only continued to follow him. "It won't work. Pouting will get you nowhere. I'm used to it by now..." 

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Down at breakfast, everyone was chatting about the mysterious screams of the night before. By now, the entire school heard that it was their DADA professor that had been the source of the terrifying sounds and there were lots of mixed reactions. Plenty of people were snickering about their 'professors' nerves, or lack thereof. What was she supposed to teach them if she screams at every little thing? There were a couple of rumours going around that she had seen a spider, no, a bunch of snakes, no, a mouse, and that's what had caused her fit. Others were more disturbed by the screams that sounded awfully real, and noticed the absence of the blonde at the head table, as well as the absence of their distinguished Headmaster.

"Where's Dumbledore?" Hermione asked Harry and Ron as they sat to eat.

"I don't know," Harry said, "But I need to talk to him. I had another dream last night," he said quietly so as not to be overheard. He then shared the contents of the dream with his two best friends.

"Prophecy?" Hermione asked, picking up on something. "Last night the Longbottoms said something about a prophecy. Do you think it's the same one?"

"I think it might," Harry whispered. "I mean, prophecies can't be that common, although the prophecy the Longbottoms are talking about had to have been old, as they haven't heard any prophecies in fifteen years or so, right?"

"I think you should talk to Dumbledore, just don't tell him we were eavesdropping on his conversation," she said, a slight blush creeping up on her cheeks. Harry just grinned at her.

"Hey guys," Dean said, sitting down next to Ron, ending any conversation pertaining to the previous conversation.

"Momphin," Ron said through a mouthful of food.

"I think he means morning," Harry translated, earning himself a nod from Ron and a "That's disgusting, Ron," from Hermione.

"Have you guys seen Neville this morning? It didn't look like he came back to bed and I haven't seen him anywhere."

The trio exchanged quick looks, knowing what was happening but unwilling to share it, knowing it wasn't their place. Harry just shrugged noncommittally and Hermione shook her head.

"You don't think anything is seriously wrong, do you?" he asked, worried for his bunkmate.

"No, I'm sure he's fine. Maybe he got up early to do some work in the library," Hermione suggested.

"Not everyone's like you," Dean teased good-naturedly. "Besides, it's a Sunday, no work should be done on a Sunday."

"I'm sure he'll show up eventually," Harry said. "Maybe he just needed some time alone."

"Maybe," Dean said, unconvinced. He looked around once more then shrugged and started piling food on his plate.

"If he doesn't show up for lunch, we should send out a search party," Ron joked lightly. "No one should miss that much food."

"So where's Professor Dumbledore?" Dean asked, looking up at the head table. "It's not usual for him to miss breakfast. Do you think he's with Professor Fox?" Dean asked.

"It's possible," Hermione said with a thoughtful look. "Although, one would think Umbridge would be with her too, but she's still up there. Maybe he has other business," she said, thinking about the Longbottoms.

Just then, the mail arrived and a letter, accompanied by an exhausted owl, dropped down on Ron's plate, splattering the oatmeal everywhere.

"Errol!" Ron yelled annoyed. "Couldn't you have landed somewhere else?" He plucked his bird from the gravy and sat the dripping bird onto a clear piece of tablecloth. "Do you think the house elves will clean him up or throw him away?" Ron asked bitterly, looking at its rumpled and drenched feathers, missing Hermione's disappointed look and Harry's quick thinking in averting another bickering match.

"So, what's the letter about?" he asked.

"Don't know," Ron said, eyeing the letter suspiciously now. "I rarely get letters from home; it's usually bad news, for me anyway," he said. He carefully picked it up and opened the envelope. "At least it's not a Howler."

Ron quickly read through the contents of the letter, his eyes growing wider as he kept reading, before he finally erupted with an outraged, "WHAT?" The great hall became quiet as everyone turned to look at Ron for a minute before continuing on with their own conversations.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, fear gnawing at his heart. Was someone hurt? Did something horrible happen? Was everything okay?

Fred, George and Ginny all came up to Ron, seeing Errol drop and hearing Ron's outburst. "What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

Ron couldn't answer he was sputtering so bad, so Fred grabbed the paper out of Ron's clenched fist. Fred and George pursued the words carefully, making Ginny frustrated, as she wasn't as tall so she couldn't see.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"That git!" Ron finally said, startling everyone at the table.

"Percy," Fred said spitefully.

"He came to mum yesterday, apologizing for his behaviour," George continued.

"Said he didn't want to be on bad terms should anything happen to the family."

"Of course, mum welcomed him back with open arms, so happy to have her son back."

"Isn't that good?" Hermione ventured cautiously.

"No!" Ron nearly shouted. "He hasn't changed views at all; he's still Fudge's loyal lapdog."

"His loyalties don't lie with the family," George said.

"Why would he come back?" Ginny asked, outraged.

"I should think you'd be happy to have him back," Harry said, thinking about himself and Neville.

"What?" Ron asked surprised. "Harry, he basically told me not to be friends with you!"

"I'm not saying he's not the best person," Harry said, "But he is your brother, whatever he believes in."

"He's right," Hermione said quietly. "What if something did happen to your family, Merlin forbid? Wouldn't you rather have everyone together as a family, than separated due to spite or different beliefs? I'm not saying he's right by choosing the Minister over Dumbledore, but it seems like he won't be choosing the Minister over his family anymore."

"But that's what he's doing," Ginny defended. "By choosing the Minister, he's putting Fudge first, over his family. We can't trust him; we don't know if he'll turn us in if we're doing something 'wrong.'"

"You don't have to trust him," Hermione said. "Trust is earned, not freely given, even within a family. But you should love him and accept him; he's your blood whether you like it or not. Personally, I'm glad he apologized; I hated seeing your mum that upset. It was tearing your family apart."

"Me too," Harry agreed. He hated seeing the Weasley's splintered. He never had a family, per se, so he'd always relied on the Weaselys for support and guidance and the hope that one day he could have something that special, hopefully with Sirius.

"All families have problems," Hermione continued. "They don't all have to agree on everything, or believe in the same thing, but they should always be there when needed." Hermione decided she needed to leave them to themselves, so she gathered her books and left.

"Eight Weaselys aren't enough," Harry said quietly, then got up and left the table, following Hermione to class.

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Alice, Frank and Neville were walking along the lake; still talking and sharing different stories, from Alice and Frank's time at Hogwarts, to Neville's own stories. True, they had stayed up all night and were exhausted, but no one wanted to rest, afraid that it might not be true. It was a dream come true and they had a lot of catching up to do.

Finally, the talk died down and they just enjoyed one another's company.

"You should meet Professor Fox," Neville said suddenly. "She's been really nice to me and she's helped me loads, although I'm not supposed to say that," he said.

"Why not?" Frank asked curiously. He thought he remembered the blonde girl's name as Fox, although at St. Mungo's he could have sworn they called her Buffy. Maybe it was just a nickname.

"I'm not sure," Neville said. "I think its because she works at the ministry and no one's supposed to like the ministry people," he offered.

"That's strange," Alice said to herself. She was thinking along the same lines as her husband. It seemed that Miss Fox was hiding something from everyone, although what and why, she had no idea. But she wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to personally thank her savior, just because she was unsure of the woman. Besides, Neville seemed to like her.

"I'd love to meet her," she said. "When's a good time?"

"Um, I'm not sure," Neville admitted. "We don't have classes today, so I think we can just stop by her office."

"Lead the way," Frank said.

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"Professor Dumbledore, sir," a receptionist said, startled by his appearance. It wasn't often he came around; she had heard fantastic stories about him, the most powerful wizard. "Can I help you?"

"I certainly hope so," he said with a smile. "Were you the receptionist working last night, around sixish?"

"No, Hope was. She should be in around nine," the brown haired lady said, pointing to a clock that read 8:50.

"Thank you," he said and looked at the clock. Dumbledore took a seat and decided to wait patiently for the woman to arrive. The time went by quickly as Dumbledore once again sat quietly and mused over his findings. They may have thought they were being careful, but it was fairly obvious that Miss Fox had somehow gotten the parasite that had infected Frank and Alice. For one thing, the couple obviously had recognized Mr. Rayne, even though they shouldn't have met many people if they had just woken up. For another, it seemed fairly strange that two people are freed from a very strong curse, only to have a similar curse show up in another person. Especially seeing as how the curse was very seldom used, as it was so difficult to cast and control. If one was not careful, the spell would backfire on the caster.

"Miss Hope?" he asked politely as said lady sat behind the desk.

"Yes?" she said, looking up.

"I was wondering if you remembered if anyone came to see Frank and Alice Longbottom yesterday evening."

"Yes, they had some visitors," Hope said with a startled look as to where this was going. Why would Albus Dumbledore want to know the visitors of some patients?

"May I enquire as to who they were?"

"Well, there was a handsome, tall brown haired man who was with a brunette that kept glaring at me, a woman with the most vibrant red hair I've ever seen," she said, thinking back.

Dumbledore was slightly disappointed; he had thought for sure that it had been Miss Fox and this mysterious Mr. Rayne.

"And a distinguished older man with a younger blonde lady. Not with with," she clarified. "They didn't seem like they were a couple, they were all just in the same group. I would've thought the older man was a father to some of them, as the rest were all fairly young."

Dumbledore beamed at the helpful lady and thanked her for her help. He had been right. They had been there, along with some other unidentified friends. He had answered one question, but that only seemed to raise a dozen more. Why were they there? Why would they help the Longbottoms? How did they know that they were under a curse? How did they break the curse? Twice, nonetheless? What did they want? Most importantly, who were they?

"Oh, and by the way," he added as he left, "The Longbottoms have been checked out under my care," he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

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"Professor Fox?" Neville asked, knocking on the door to her office. "Are you there?"

"Doesn't look like she's here yet," Frank said, his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Maybe we can come back later," Neville said hopefully.

"Or not," a voice from behind said.

The Longbottoms turned around quickly, surprised to see the young blonde behind them, the same young blonde that had been in their hospital room the night before, and in her own.

"Professor!" Neville said with a smile. "I was just coming to see you."

"I can see that," she said, walking towards them.

"You'll never believe what happened!" Neville said. "These are my parents," he introduced excitedly, "They got better, somebody helped them break the curse they were under!"

"Yes, some very thoughtful people helped us out," Alice said, extending her hand. "I don't know how we'll ever repay them."

"It's truly a pleasure to meet you," Frank said. "Neville has told us so many good things about you."

"I hope its not all bad," she joked. "This is my um..."

"Stepfather," Giles provided, extending his own hand in welcome. "Ethan Rayne."

"I was just giving him a tour of the castle; he's a muggle," Buffy explained. "So, why don't you come in and we can have some tea?" she suggested.

"That'd be lovely," Alice said thankfully while Neville's stomach rumbled.

"Why don't you run to the great hall for some breakfast, Neville?" Frank suggested.

Neville's face dropped slightly at the thought of leaving his parents, even for a little while.

"We'll just talk to your professor here and then we'll meet up with you again," Alice promised. "I just think it might be a little weird to talk about you as if you weren't there if you are."

Neville smiled at his parents, hugged them again, then rushed off to breakfast to quickly eat something before it was over. He didn't have much time left and he was too hungry to wait until lunch.

"He's a good kid," Buffy said quietly, watching him go.

"Yes he is. Thank you so much for doing this," Alice said again.

Instead of answering, Buffy opened the door and ushered them all inside before placing a silencing charm around the room.

"Why did you... no... how did you know?" Frank asked, his mind running a mile a minute with questions.

"Look, I saw Neville had some problems with Potions and confidence so I decided to help him out. I just gave him a couple of pointers. We got to talking and he told me about you two and I could relate. My own family is... well, it's complicated to say the least. The thing is, something just felt wrong about your situation and so I went with my friends to see for myself how you were. My friend, Willow, the red head, is a very powerful Wicca and we helped pull you out of the curse. I did it because it needed to be done."

"But you risked your life for us, how can you be so... well, not quite flippant, but... relaxed, about it?" Alice asked, amazed.

Buffy shrugged her shoulders. "You needed help, I helped you, that's just the way things are. If I died, well, it was for a good cause." 'And I'd probably be brought back anyway,' Buffy thought. Sure, she wasn't wishing to die, but she wasn't afraid of it either. Too many things had happened, too many people she had loved were gone. Sirius and Remus were nowhere to be found, and not for lack of trying. Sure, she still had Harry, but he didn't even know her yet, and she wasn't fit to take care of someone else at the moment; she had to find her own answers. She didn't know what the questions were yet, but she had a feeling there was something else that needed to be done before she told everyone who she was. She had yet to doubt her instincts, she wasn't about to start now.

Besides, Harry was at Hogwarts, perfectly happy. Hopefully she'd figure something out before he left for summer break. One thing was for sure, he'd never go back to the Dursley again.

"Who are you?" Frank asked bluntly. "Your name isn't Ethan Rayne and yours isn't Sarah Fox, at least, that's not what your other friends called you last night. And why are you being so secretive about your dealings with Neville? And why don't you want anyone to know you helped us? I can never repay you for what you've done, but you should get some recognition for your outstanding act of selflessness."

"Frank," Alice said, trying to calm him down, although she really wanted to know the answers to these questions too.

"Look, I could be honest with you and tell you who I was, but you probably wouldn't believe me, or even remember. I'm not quite sure whom to trust right now, although to be perfectly honest, that's only part of it. I have this feeling that I shouldn't say anything yet, so I'm not going to. Things are complicated and you're so far behind with the times, although not as much as I am," Buffy said, muttering the last part to herself.

"Well, I can't say I'm happy," Frank said, as he desperately wanted answers to this enigma in front of him, "But you've saved our lives, so there's not much I can do but respect your wishes."

"I hope you find whatever you're looking for," Alice said, searching the eyes of the young woman in front of her. She was so young, but her eyes held so much pain and sadness, much more than anyone should ever have. She wondered who this girl really was and what she wanted.

"I hope so too," Buffy said softly, more to herself than to anyone else in the room.

Frank and Alice stood up to say their goodbyes. This time, Alice found it appropriate to hug the blonde in thanks. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask, even if it's just someone to talk to."

"Thank you again, for everything," Frank said. The couple walked out of the doors and headed towards the Great Hall where they hoped to find their son. Pretty soon it'd be around the school that they were back; kids would write their parents, and then the media would have a field day. They'd need to leave soon to sort things out before rumours abounded.

"Neville! There you are!" Ron cried as he left the Great Hall with Dean and his brothers in tow. "We've been looking for you! What happened with McGonagall?"

"She just wanted to let me know that my parents were back," Neville said happily. "I've been with them all night."

"Good for you, Neville," Ron said, knowing where his parents had been.

"This is good, right?" Dean asked, then let out a sigh at Neville's nod. "I thought something bad had happened! I'm glad you're alright!" He didn't know where his parents had been, now that they were back, but he knew it wasn't his place to ask. Neville only talked about his grandmother, so Dean thought his parents were dead, or had abandoned him. Neither was pleasing to think about.

"I'm better than ever," Neville said. "It's nice to have everyone back together again."

The Weaselys just looked at each other.

After his first class of the day, Harry had a free period, so he decided to use the time to go and see Professor Dumbledore about his dream. He walked to the gargoyle, trying to think of what the password might be, but upon reaching the entrance, he found it was already open.

He walked up the spiral staircase and knocked on the wooden door.

"Come in," Dumbledore's voice cried out from within.

Harry entered the room, much to Dumbledore's surprise. It almost seemed like he thought it was someone else.

"What can I do for you, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. He was walking around to the chair behind his desk, almost as if he had just arrived at his office, which would account for why the entrance was already open. He sat in the desk, and much to Harry's chagrin, picked a point right over his left shoulder to stare at.

'Maybe I shouldn't have come here,' Harry thought angrily. 'He won't even look me in the eyes!'

"Harry?" Dumbledore prompted him.

Harry paused another moment before finally answering. "I had another dream."

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CHAPTER 25: LEARNING

Dumbledore sat in thoughtful silence for a moment, still avoiding Harry's eyes. "And what was this dream about?" he asked.

Harry had always trusted Dumbledore; it used to go without saying that Dumbledore would always be there for him, but now he was having his doubts. Something was going on; Dumbledore had never treated him so, unfamiliar before. It was like he was any other student; worse, as Harry was sure Dumbledore would still look all his other students in the eyes, whether he knew them personally or not.

Now, Harry was beginning to question his mentor. How could he trust someone that was acting as if he were a stranger? If was really frustrating.

"Harry?" Dumbledore prompted again, after his unusually long silence.

Harry hesitated a moment more before finally deciding that it was still Dumbledore, the one he'd always trusted before. Why should now be that much different? "There was a long corridor and lots of doors spinning around. I don't remember much, but that's about it."

"Have you had this dream before?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Harry said.

"Why didn't you come to me when you first had this dream?" Dumbledore asked.

"Because whenever I'm around, you seem to ignore me!" Harry yelled suddenly. "You won't even look at me and I'm supposed to come running to you for help or advice? Sir." He added as an afterthought, realizing that he had just yelled at his headmaster.

Dumbledore sighed and leaned back into his chair. "I am truly sorry, Harry," he apologized sincerely. "And you are absolutely right. I will talk to Professor Snape about some lessons in remedial potions."

"What?" Harry asked, thoroughly confused. How did they get on the topic of Potions?

"Once you have finished your lessons to Professor Snape's satisfaction, I will answer any and all questions you might have," Dumbledore said, looking far older than he had when Harry had first walked in. "But not until then."

"I'm not doing that bad in Potions," Harry said. "Why do I have to take Remedial Potions?"

"Just to help you get ahead," Dumbledore said. "Trust me. It will do wonders for you. And I'm sure you'd be able to brew a potion to stop those nightmares."

"But professor," Harry protested.

"Harry, please," Dumbledore said, his voice betraying his emotions for a minute. "You shall receive instructions on your lessons from Professor Snape sometime later today. It is of the utmost importance you try your hardest with these lessons. I will be getting an update regularly."

"What's the prophecy about?" Harry asked suddenly, startling Dumbledore. He had wanted to get back on track with his dream, not talking about some stupid lessons with Snape. He had to have known that Snape hated him, and he hated Snape. What was the point in making them spend more time together? Maybe he really had gone mad.

"Prophecy?" Dumbledore asked. "What do you mean?"

He was playing dumb, Harry realized. He knew exactly what he meant. "I heard it in my dream. There was a voice. It said, the prophecy is mine and it told me to take it. You know what I'm talking about, don't lie to me. I'm tired of it."

"My dear boy," Dumbledore said, "I told you once before in your first year and I will tell you again now, I will not and have not lied to you. Finish your lessons satisfactorily and I will answer all questions you may have. You are dismissed."

Harry stood up angrily, once again frustrated by the man in front of him. He stormed out from the room and practically ran back to the common room. He didn't have classes today, so there was plenty of time to sit and fume. And think.

Later that day, Harry received a letter saying he was to meet Professor Snape in the Potions classroom for remedial potions every Monday at 8:00. Could his life get any worse?

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Monday morning found the trio sitting at breakfast rather lifelessly. The sky outside was cloudy and dreary, causing many kids to move sluggishly from classes.

"I read somewhere that the weather affects peoples moods," Hermione said. "I guess it was right."

"Double Potions first and then DADA with the stupid ministry woman would have anyone grumpy," Ron growled.

"I still have Remedial Potions later tonight," Harry groaned quietly. Not everyone had to know about it.

"Sorry, mate," Ron grimaced. "You definitely have it worse."

"I still think there's something more going on than just remedial potions. You aren't that bad," Hermione said.

"That's what I said," Harry told her. "Not that he listened to me."

"Well, we'll just have to wait until 8:00 tonight, won't we?" Ron said.

"Can we just not talk about it?" Harry asked, and Ron and Hermione agreed, not wanting Harry to yell at them for something ridiculous.

The mail arrived, putting an end to any and all discussion in the Great Hall. Not everyone had a subscription to the Daily Prophet, but enough people did that in a matter of seconds the whole hall was ablaze with whispers over the front-page article.

"Huh," Harry said, not surprised to read ALICE AND FRANK LONGBOTTOM'S MIRACULOUS RECOVERY splattered everywhere over the paper. And GRANDMA FAINTS IN SHOCK was a side story that described Neville's Grandmother's reaction to the news. She is fine and elated, but there was a moment there when everyone thought she died. Everyone was whispering and pointing at Neville, whose face was becoming an interesting shade of red. "I'm surprised it's taken them this long," he said bitterly, tossing the paper away from him, not needing to read it, especially since Neville was sitting right across from him.

"We need to get to class," Hermione said, gathering her books, leading the boys, including Neville, out of the Great Hall and away from prying eyes. When would people learn that it wasn't any of their business what went on in other people's lives?

"How does Snape expect you to pass his class if he does things like that?" Ron asked, outraged that Snape had purposely spilt his potion once he saw Hermione clear Harry's cauldron.

"He doesn't," Harry answered shortly, ignoring Ron's' sudden understanding.

"I'm sure it'll be okay," Hermione said.

"How am I supposed to learn anything from him if he won't give me a chance?" Harry asked. "He's not a very good professor."

"He just has a different teaching method," Hermione said.

"Stop sticking up for him," Ron said, starting another argument with Hermione over stupid details. Neither of them noticed Harry sigh and then continue on ahead of them to the Defence classroom.

The entire class was silent as they set their textbooks on their desks and awaited the arrival of their teacher. No one was in the mood to get any points off, get detention, or get thrown out of class today.

Buffy finally arrived, coming out of the office near her classroom. She had taken Giles back to the apartment yesterday after showing him around the castle, which he found "absolutely remarkable." It was very amusing to watch his reactions to everything, and she had to physically haul him out of the library, as it was another 'astounding collection' that he wanted to stay in forever. She had to promise she'd bring him back again, and she knew that included the others as well.

"Before we start today," Buffy said, not using any greeting as she entered the classroom, "we need to get one thing straight. I'm not here for your pleasure; I'm not here because I like you or because I love teaching. I am here because the Minister thought I'd handle my station well. We can't go any further before you understand, and I mean really understand, that I don't like you and you don't like me. I don't like being talked about behind my back or outside of my classroom; it makes me angry, and you don't want to make me angry. Do I make myself clear?" Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow, leaning over her desk. She hoped they understood what she was trying to get at here. It all depended on it.

She looked around the room at all the sullen faces and scowls coming her way. She could tell, by looking at each person, that only Hermione seemed to understand even a slither of what she was saying, but everyone nodded anyway. Hopefully they'd understand after the lesson.

"Good," she said, raising her wand. The door slammed shut and locked, startling everyone and frightening some. The windows that were open slammed shut as well, and the blinds came down on top of them, blocking out the clouds and the approaching thunderclouds. Buffy ended by placing a silencing charm around the room, effectively protecting the classroom from any outside listeners.

All the students were very nervous. The teacher had just told them she hated them and now she was locking them in a room and making it sound proof, probably to silence their screams. Had they been anyone but brave Gryffindors, screaming might have ensued, but as it was, there was just shifting, glances, and whispers between the students, as well as the subtly wand drawings.

"Relax," Buffy said with a grin, "You look like you're on a one way trip to hell. I promise my teaching's not that bad."

No one moved a muscle. Buffy just rolled her eyes and hopped up on the desk, swinging her feet carelessly. "Put up your books. You don't need them."

The students were shocked. Not moments ago she had seemed like she was threatening them, and now she was calm and happy. What was going on?

Buffy sighed and flicked her wand again, causing all the books to fly off the tops of the desks, eliciting some shrieks from a couple of girls, and a worried Hermione to run after her book, making sure it was okay.

"Do you guys want to learn something or are we just gonna sit here all day?" Buffy asked. "I thought you'd actually want to learn something, but maybe I was wrong."

There was just a sea of shocked faces looking back at her.

"Is there something wrong with my hair?" she asked worried, and she conjured up a mirror to check her reflection. It was fine.

"Are you telling us that you're going to teach us something?" Hermione asked amazed.

"Yeah," Buffy said as if it was obvious.

"Something useful?"

"I should hope so."

"Something about Defence Against the Dark Arts?"

"That is what the class is, right?'

"Something practical, not theory?"

"Yes!" Buffy exclaimed. "We could've been partially through the lesson by now, but you guys keep looking at me as if I've just told you I was going to marry Snape!"

That got them out of it. Several of the Gryffindors started to groan, others began to gag, and some managed to laugh at the idea.

"Finally, now are you ready to learn?" She received hesitant, but eager, nods from the students. "Good. Let's get started."

"Can anyone tell me what makes a wizard turn dark?"

Hermione raised her hand, as did Harry.

"Yes, Miss Granger."

"Well, it's different for every person. Each wizard, or witch, has a different motive, or breaking point if the case may be. It's totally dependent on the person."

"Very good. Ten points to Gryffindor. Mr. Potter," Buffy called.

"It's your choices," Harry said, echoing words that Dumbledore had once told him. "A persons choices define who they are and what they might become."

"That's exactly right, another ten points," Buffy said, shocking the class once more. "Every person has a different set of beliefs and values. Some don't care what happens to other people, as long as they profit. Others think it's fun," Buffy said bitterly. "The thing to know is what your own breaking point is. What your values are. What would it take for you to switch sides? What would it take for you to give up on everything you've once thought was good and right? Imagine yourself in that position.

"You have just lost everything you've ever owned. Everyone you've ever loved is dead. You're all alone and you're currently being tortured by a much powerful wizard. Now you have a choice. That choice is what will make you or break you. You can either choose to keep fighting or you can give up and give in to the darkness.

"I'll be honest with you. It's much easier to give in, that's why there are so many dark wizards. The ones that take the easy road are the cowards. The wizards that become really great are the ones that keep fighting even when there is no possible way for them to win. They never give up. Some might die. Others are able to overcome that pain and defeat the bastards that are causing them the pain," Buffy said, noticing that her language shocked everyone.

"It all comes down to you and how much you're able to take. For homework, I'd like for you to write an essay about what would be the thing that would push you over the edge. Think of the very worse thing you'd hate to happen, then think about how to make it worse, and do it again. And again. Keep doing it until you're not sure if you'd be able to live with yourself anymore. Then maybe you have some idea of what your breaking point is and maybe you'll begin to understand how evil some people can be; how evil the world can be. After you've written your essay, I want you to write another essay on what you'd do to overcome the events of your first essay; how you'd keep on fighting. Find something to fight for and write it down. Don't ever forget what you're fighting for because if you do, even for a second, you might lose sight of the big picture and slip up. Then you're dead. Or worse, you've just switched sides.

"I don't care how long the papers are; in fact, I don't care if you do them. The essays are for you, not me; if you do them, I won't read them. I don't want to know your deepest fears, but I think you should recognize them and come to terms with them. Once you realize what evil is and how bad it truly is, then you'll be able to defend yourselves better.

"Right now, we'll work on familiarizing you with the different demons and magical creatures out there and how to defend yourselves against them, whether it be by magic or other means. You'll learn how to defend yourself in the unfortunate occasion when you're wandless, and in the rare occasion when you're weaponless. I'll tell you right now that you'll rarely be weaponless if you use your resources wisely; improvise, be creative.

"For example," Buffy said, hopping off the desk she was sitting on, "I have nothing on me right now." She placed her wand on the desk and held her hands up to show the class. "But I do have my hands and my feet, my knees and my head, should I ever get close enough to physically hit someone." Several snickers were heard throughout the room as they pictured their small, skinny, theoretically weak professor beating someone. "I may not look it, but I can pack quite a punch," Buffy said, pretending to be offended, but it didn't work as she was smiling. "Even so, there are other things around me right now that I could use as weapons. This book," Buffy said, picking up one of the discarded textbooks. "Or this quill, if you have enough force to, say, ram it into someone's leg or poke at their eyes. Even the desk itself."

"You're gonna pick up the desk?" someone joked from the back.

"Maybe," Buffy said with a smirk, as she knew she was capable of it. "Or, I could break it apart and have several pieces of desk. Same thing with the chair." Buffy went over to the chair, as people wouldn't stop snickering, and picked it up. She looked out at the class who had quieted down some. She brought the chair slamming down into the desk, with just enough force to splinter the chair and cause some damage to the desk; she didn't show off her strength, she used just enough not to be suspicious, as any of the kids could do the same.

Now, pieces of chair and desk littered the floor and the students couldn't believe what their professor had just done.

"That's school property," Hermione whispered with wide eyes, forgetting where she was for a moment. Growing up in muggle schools, she was taught not to damage school property and the professor had done just that.

"For the love of Merlin!" Ron cried. "Do we have to go over this every time? You're a witch!"

"Oh, right," Hermione said sheepishly.

Buffy looked at her and grinned, leaning over to pick up several pieces of wood. "Now you have weapons. You could throw these," Buffy said, lightly tossing one across the room (not in the direction of the students), "beat people with these," she gently knocked the wood against the wall, "or stab people if you feel the need. Maybe in the leg or arm."

"Or heart," Hermione said. Buffy turned sharply to look at her, as did the rest of her class. "If it's a vampire!" she clarified. "Honestly, people!"

"Very good," Buffy said. "Ten more points." It was her old house... "Although not all vampires are bad, just like not all creatures and demons are bad. The thing to know is which ones are good and which ones are bad. Quite a few creatures may be dangerous, several may be harmless, and a few are debatable. Let's take werewolves, for example," Buffy said. "What do you think about them?"

"There's nothing wrong with them!" Harry said vehemently.

"They're people just like everyone else," Hermione said.

"We've got nothing against werewolves," Ron agreed. "As long as they don't bite us."

Buffy was slightly taken aback by the force of their answers. "I take it you know a werewolf?" Buffy asked, and wasn't too surprised when they nodded.

"Our Defence professor in our third year was a werewolf," Lavender offered as an explanation.

"You had a werewolf as a professor?" Buffy asked, intrigued. She never thought the board would agree to that; they went ballistic when they found out Remus attended the school, although ultimately it was Dumbledore's decision.

"Actually, no one knew Professor Lupin was a werewolf until the end of the year, then he didn't come back," Parvati said.

"Lupin?" Buffy asked, surprised. "Remus Lupin? He's still alive?"

Ron, Harry, and Hermione all gave each other looks that were missed by everyone else.

"He's the best professor we've had yet," Dean said.

"Although, Professor Moody was pretty good too," Seamus said.

"Moody? Alastor Moody? I thought he was an auror?" Buffy said. She had been looking for these people and they had both taught at Hogwarts! Surely, someone could tell her where they were.

"He's retired," Neville said. "He used to be an auror, but Dumbledore wanted him to teach for a year, so he did last year."

Harry was getting a little wary of her interest in Lupin and Moody. She was working for the Ministry and now she was showing curiosity about two of the people in the Order, which opposed Fudge. What could she be up to?

"Technically, it wasn't actually him, as Mr. Crouch used Polyjuice potion all year to pretend to be Moody while the real Moody was locked in his own truck, or at least, that's what the rumour is," Dean said. "But he was still a good professor."

"Right," Buffy said. "Does anyone happen to know where they are now?" When no one answered and some of them looked at her funnily, she added, "I'd like to compare notes and look at what they've already covered in their classes."

Still no one knew where they were; at least, no one volunteered the information. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked as nonchalant as they could and didn't look at each other. They'd have time to discuss this new development later.

"Anyway," Buffy said, "back to the werewolves. There are some people out there that hunt werewolves for their teeth and pelts, which is utterly ridiculous. What those hunters don't understand, or maybe they just don't care, is that werewolves are just like you and me all the time except for the nights before, during, and after a full moon."

"When you run into a werewolf, you're not entirely out of luck. A simple tranquilizer will calm them down, although I'm sure not many people carry around tranquilizers. Some spells can be used as well, but some work better on different parts of the body..."

Buffy continued to lecture for some more and then the class began to practice some new spells she had taught them. The day had certainly brightened up after that; although, Professor Fox didn't forget to remind them about the agreement they had come to at the beginning of class. "It's probably because she doesn't want to get sacked," Lavender whispered.

"Why was she so interested in Professor Lupin and Moody?" Harry asked after they were secluded in the common room before lunch.

"I don't know," Hermione said. "Maybe she knows something? Maybe she's trying to look for them and can't find them because they're at headquarters. She works for the Ministry, perhaps she's some sort of spy that's trying to get information from what Dumbledore is doing."

"That makes sense," Harry said thoughtfully. "I mean, why else would she try to teach us all of a sudden? Intimidation didn't work, so they're trying a different route to see if anyone knows anything. They get us to trust her and we tell her things."

"Then why would she tell us not to talk about her and her lessons?" Ron asked.

"Because she doesn't want the other teachers to know," Hermione said. "Maybe she's doing the same thing with all the teachers? Luring them into a false sense of trust and then collecting all the information they reveal to her."

"What have we done to her," Ron asked Harry. "The old Hermione would never have even thought about thinking bad things about the professors, and here she is plotting this whole conspiracy thing."

"We've just opened the door and unleashed the beast that's been dying to get out all along," Harry joked, earning him a glare from Hermione and a hearty laugh from Ron.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Hermione asked torn.

"Nothing," Harry said. "She hasn't done anything suspicious yet; let's just keep a watch on her and see what happens, okay?"

Hermione reluctantly agreed, claiming that "We still have O.W.L.s this year and she is much better than Umbridge."

"I could have told you that from the beginning," Ron said.

"I wasn't talking about her looks, Ron," Hermione said with a scowl.

"Must I remind you about Lockhart?" Ron retorted, earning a rosy blush to creep up on Hermione's cheeks.

"When are you going to let that go? That was in second year."

"I don't know, what do you think Harry? How about... never."

"There is something different about her, though," Harry said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, ignoring Ron.

Harry floundered for a moment, trying to find the words before giving up. "I don't know. It's just this feeling I have. I can't even tell if it's a good feeling or a bad feeling, but there's definitely something about her..."

Later that evening, as the students were making their way to the great hall for dinner, Harry, Hermione and Ron saw Dumbledore walking with Professor Trelawney from the direction of his office.

"What could he want with her?" Ron asked. "Do you think she's going to get fired?"

"I don't think so," Hermione said sceptically.

"It's probably about the prophecy," Harry said. "Don't you think? I mean, she is the Divination professor, no matter how awful she is; maybe she knows something." Harry heard a humph come from Hermione's direction, but he quickly shushed her as they were close enough to make out some of their conversation.

"... of course I knew you'd invite me to dine with you," Trelawney was saying, "and I saw myself accepting your proposal."

"I wish you would see yourself venturing out more," Dumbledore said politely. "It's always a pleasure to have you at meals."

"Yes," Trelawney said, standing up a bit straighter at the compliment. "I do what I can, but it is not always up to me; I must follow my inner eye."

Harry, Ron and Hermione had stopped walking and had huddled together, so as to look less suspicious, as they struggled to hear the conversation. Trelawney and Dumbledore were almost at the door to the Great Hall, which was not too far from where they stood. They didn't notice Professor Fox as she was heading to the Great Hall, but they were close enough to hear her comment.

Buffy was walking down the hall to dinner when she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing together, for some reason not talking, by the wall. 'What are they up to?' Buffy thought. She decided she wouldn't interfere in whatever they were doing, and continued to walk right on by them; however, her eyes moved past the trio and fell on Dumbledore and this creature he was walking with. "What the hell is that thing?" she muttered to herself as the surprise washed over her and made her pause.

Buffy could have sworn Dumbledore heard her, because he looked up from his conversation with the creature and his eyes were twinkling more so than usual. 'But I wasn't that loud,' Buffy thought incredulously as he made his way towards her. The creature still had yet to look up at her.

"Ah, Professor Fox, allow me to introduce to you our Divination teacher Sybil Trelawney. I'm sure that you'll..."

Whatever he was sure she would be, she never found out, because that's when the thing finally turned its eyes upon Buffy.

That's when the screaming began. 


	7. Chapters 26 to 30

CHAPTER 26: PIECES

A skeletal woman, with humongous glasses that magnified her eyes and made them seem to bulge out of her head, colourful bangles that swathed her arms, glittering rings that covered her fingers, innumerable chains and beads that wrapped around her neck, and a gossamer spangled shawl draped around her shoulders made her look quite the sight.

A large, glittering insect was the first thing that came to Buffy's mind, and she couldn't help but think back to the She-mantis that had come to Sunnydale High. The so-called Divination teacher in front of her didn't make Buffy's senses go wild; in fact, she seemed relatively normal, except for her awful fashion taste, which Buffy decided was downright scary.

Unfortunately, as she knew how to kill it, a She-mantis was crossed off her list as soon as the 'beast' in front of her opened her mouth. And started to scream.

Buffy had no idea what to do.

"Death! All I see is Death! You poor, poor child," Trelawney said, bringing her hand to her heart. "You shall not live for long; I can see that Death surrounds you and it will not let you go."

"Um, that's good to know," Buffy said, looking at the woman strangely. So maybe she wasn't a demon; she sure screamed like a regular woman.

"My dear! Why are you not worried?" Trelawney asked amazed. Everyone else was looking at Buffy with surprise evident on his or her own faces. To their knowledge, Harry had been the only one whose death was regularly predicted by the bug lady. "It is only a matter of time before your life is taken from you!"

'Again?' Buffy thought, slightly annoyed. "Everyone dies," Buffy said. "Some sooner than others." 'And some more than once,' Buffy thought with a scowl. All this talk about death kept bringing her mind back around to heaven and what it felt like, what it still felt like, being torn out of it.

It was an understatement of historic proportions to say that it was unpleasant.

"You should not walk away from something this serious," Trelawney cried, shocked at the woman's nonchalance. "Why are you so unconcerned?"

"It gets old after a while," Buffy called out, brushing past them. "You'd think someone would come up with something new by now," Buffy said absently, not knowing the others could hear her.

"What?" Hermione whispered quietly, mostly to herself.

"I'm a Seer!" Trelawney cried, desperate to be believed. "I can see the future!"

"Then what will I wear tomorrow? It might save me some time to search through my closet," Buffy said over her shoulder.

"You won't make it to Christmas, my dear," Trelawney continued to call out, tears forming in her eyes. "You should be careful who you trust, for the ones you love will betray you."

At that, Buffy paused in thought. She remembered her old Divination teacher when she was at school. She had taken it for part of third year before getting sick and tired of the death predictions and prophecies of doom that she picked up a different class instead. It was starting again and she didn't like it. This new Divination professor even said some of the same things her old one had. It was creepy and she was getting a little frustrated and angry. Who were they to dictate her life? Prophecies and predictions were never good; it did not do to dwell on things and forget to live. That's what happened when one believed in a prophecy, one believed that there was no way to change the outcome, although she was a prime example that that was not the case.

She turned around and stalked back towards the insect-like creature.

"So, do you know how I'm going to die? I mean, if one of my friends is going to kill me, I should at least know how, right? Or better yet, who? Who's going to do it? Who's going to kill me? And why? You're the Seer, aren't you? So tell me, how am I going to die? Is it going to be painful? Do you think it'll hurt? Do you think I'll go to Heaven?" Buffy nearly shouted.

"You're not good for anything," Buffy said quieter since she got no response. "You can't tell me anything useful, can you? Just that I'm going to die before Christmas. Which Christmas? This one, the next one, the one ten years from now? I'd like a date and time if at all possible, just so I can be prepared."

Once again she was met by silence, so Buffy took one last look at the Seer and walked away, hearing her mutter, "So much pain and darkness. Stay away from her; Death's not letting go," as she walked up the stairs, opting to skip dinner. Buffy's mind was whirling. She wasn't stupid enough to dismiss everything the thing had to say, but she wasn't going to become paranoid over it. She knew that now more than ever she had been right in worrying about who to trust. 'Be careful who you trust,' the Seer had said. Giles, Xander, Willow, Anya, even Faith, were the ones she trusted. They wouldn't betray her; they'd been through too much together for her not to realize that. She didn't know what anyone else would do; she'd trust no one else.

Dumbledore watched her go; he had been watching the exchange with curious eyes and he still could not figure her out. Every day he seemed to see a different side of Professor Fox and none of them seemed to match up. It was frustrating, as he had no idea whether or not she could be trusted. Especially around his students. Who's side was she on?

"Well," Dumbledore said, trying to lighten the mood and break the tension, "I believe dinner is waiting, as are our friends and colleagues. If you will," he said, gesturing towards the door. Surprisingly enough, the commotion had gone unnoticed by the rest of the castle; perhaps, the noise in the Great Hall overruled the screams coming from Trelawney, or perhaps the doors to the Great Hall blocked the sound; they were very solid and thick.

The trio pushed open the doors and filed into the Hall; they didn't talk until they sat down at the table. Amazingly enough, Dumbledore acted as if nothing had happened; as if their Divination professor hadn't predicted the death of the DADA professor, who went crazy at the news.

"What do you make of that?" Ron asked, breaking the thoughtful silence of the group.

"I don't know," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "It sounded like she had gotten that warning before, or perhaps a similar warning of death..." Hermione trailed off, lost in her thoughts.

"Don't you think it's weird, though?" Ron asked. "I mean, she's never really predicted the death of anyone besides Harry, for obvious reasons."

"She thought she'd be considered legit if she predicted something correctly, so she chose the most obvious thing," Harry finished for him.

"It's a good thing you're so stubborn," Ron said with a slight smile.

"I get it from my dad's side," Harry joked half-heartedly.

"I don't get it!" Hermione said suddenly, very frustrated. "Who is she?" she hissed. "Why would Trelawney predict her death? It's not like she's ever accurate, but she's done the same thing to you over and over again. But everyone knows You-Know-Who is after you. Why would she have to worry about betrayal and death?"

"Maybe she's been associating with some bad people," Ron said.

"Trelawney did say something about darkness and staying away from her," Harry said. "Maybe you were right before; maybe she is a spy for Voldemort," Harry said, getting frustrated when his friends flinched. "Would you please stop that?" he finally asked. "It's just a name."

"Sorry," Hermione apologized, abashed.

"Of course Hermione's right," Ron said. "When is she ever wrong?"

"So should we tell someone?" Hermione said.

"Who're we going to tell? Dumbledore was right there with us," Harry said. He was still angry at the headmaster for making him take more lessons with Snape. He was only bad at Potions because Snape was an awful professor; if he was going to take Remedial Potions, he'd do better with a different teacher.

"I'm not hungry," Harry said, pushing his plate away, thoughts of his lesson running through his head.

"Me neither," Hermione said.

"Well, one of us has got to eat," Ron said as the two looked at him, almost expectantly.

"Don't wait up for me," Harry said. "I don't know when I'll be done." Harry got up from the table to go back to the common room to grab some things before heading down to his lesson. He still had some time left. 

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"Buffy!" Willow cried happily. "We weren't expecting you. How are you doing? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you didn't look so good the other day," Anya pitched in.

"I'm fine," Buffy said.

"Are you sure? Cause that doesn't look like a happy Buffy," Xander said.

"It's nothing, I just met the Divination professor; another prophecy foretelling my doom. She wouldn't even tell me when," Buffy said lightly, trying to make it seem unimportant.

"Don't you hate it when that happens?" Xander joked, although he did exchange a worried look with Willow. She couldn't die again. They needed her.

"Yeah, it's a real drag. So, Willow, how's it coming?"

"Oh," Willow said, startled by the abrupt change of subject. "Well, not as well as I had hoped."

"We knew it wouldn't be easy," Buffy said. "It'll take some time."

"I know, but I think you're going to have to do it."

"What? Why me?"

"Well, you've grown up around this type of magic and you know more about it than me. This is extremely complicated and I'm not sure if I'm the right person for it."

"And you think I am?" Buffy asked with wide eyes.

"Well, yes. But I'll be there to help you," Will said quickly as she noticed Buffy start to protest. "Plus, I can't get everything I might need. The Apothecary in Diagon Alley doesn't carry some of the more... questionable items."

"Right, well, I think I can get whatever you need at Hogwarts. Snape probably has everything you've ever dreamed about having. He's really into potions."

"That's good. Maybe you could come by every night so that we could do some experimenting. This is more in your territory than it is in mine."

"I thought Potions would be right up your alley, with all the stuff you've done over the years."

"Yes and no," Willow said, fiddling with her hands. "I've done simple things that required common ingredients,"

"I get scared when she includes eye of newt with the common ingredients," Xander said.

"Well, compared to some of the ingredients I saw in the Apothecary, eye of newt is just trivial. Potions are very delicate, especially something like this. One wrong ingredient could create something awful. I don't know what all the ingredients do, what happens when you mix them or the special things that you have to do to some before adding them. It's really complicated. Wicca is easy compared to this stuff."

"Okay," Buffy said. "I'll do it, but I'll still need your help."

"Done," Willow said with a relieved smile. She didn't like playing with ingredients that she didn't know. She'd probably poison them all accidentally.

"Well, let's get started, shall we?" 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That's strange," someone muttered after Dumbledore finished telling the incident with Professors Fox and Trelawney to the other members of the Order.

"Indeed," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

"You don't believe her, do you Albus?" McGonagall asked, amazed. "I mean, she's never been the most... astute person; I don't think we should rely on her... abilities to assess the situation correctly," she said, trying to sum up her thoughts nicely.

"As... flighty, as Sybil appears to be, she has proven to be adept at her profession." Hearing McGonagall's disbelieving snort, he continued, "I believe she has given a prophecy or two in her life; one of which was given to Mr. Potter during his third year exam. And it proved to be true."

"Just because she gives one correct statement doesn't mean we must believe everything that comes from her mouth," she argued.

"It just means that we should place some credibility to her words."

"She's been predicting Potter's death since she first laid eyes on him. He's not dead yet, and won't be anytime soon if I have anything to say about it."

"Well, there has been the constant threat to his life, so perhaps we are safe in assuming that there is a threat to Professor Fox's life."

"Why would anyone want to kill her?" Moody asked.

"Apart from the obvious, you mean?" McGonagall interrupted bitterly.

"I don't believe you've ever even talked to her, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "There is something about her that strikes me and I cannot discover what it is. It is actually quite frustrating."

"The question is do we want to save her," Tonks spoke up. "Who's side is she on?"

"I believe the priority is finding out who she is," Moody said. "If we figure that out, it'll be easier to answer the first question."

"I was lucky enough to run into young Mr. Creevy," Dumbledore said. "He was kind enough to provide me with a picture of our Professor." Dumbledore placed a brand new photo on the table, allowing people to pass it around to examine.

One by one, people shook their heads. Moody stared at it for a long, long time. A memory of some kind seemed to flicker on the edge of his mind, but the harder he tried to get it, the farther away it went. Pretty soon, all he felt was frustrated for not being able to recognize her.

"I can take it to work and ask around," Mr. Weasley said. "If she's got any friends at the Ministry."

"If she even works there," Moody growled.

"Then I can get some information about her," Arthur finished. "It might not be much, but it's a start."

Dumbledore nodded. "Everyone keep their eyes and ears open. If she's a spy, it's best to know about it as soon as possible. If she can be an ally, even better."

"How did Remus' mission go?" Molly asked suddenly, missing the werewolf.

"I don't think it was very fruitful," Dumbledore said. "Pettigrew lead him all over Europe and he had no luck catching him. I believe he was cornered in Italy, but Remus managed to escape. He should be here any moment. Sirius is waiting for him by the fireplace. I believe he thought it better than listening into another meeting."

"We really should do something," McGonagall said. "We can't keep him locked up here by himself. He's not a patient person, if you remember."

"I agree. Remus will keep him company for the time being, but other than that, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. Everyone's on the lookout for him, and by now all the Death Eaters have memorized his animagus form. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it is." 

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The next morning, Ron and Harry found Hermione sitting on a couch, scratching away on some piece of parchment; however, there weren't any school books around.

"What are you working on?" Harry asked.

"My essay for Defence class," Hermione said absently.

"You're actually going to do it?" Ron asked amazed. Off Harry's look he added, "Right, dumb question, don't know what I was thinking. But, really Hermione. It's not even due. She's not going to look at it; we don't have to do it. There's not even extra credit involved."

Hermione finally glanced up and frowned at them. "So? I think it's a good assignment, and you should take the time to do it. I think you'd discover quite a bit about yourself," she said, glancing at Harry quickly.

"I know enough about myself already and that's just another two essays that I'm not required to do," Ron said, flopping down into a chair.

"You're doing it, aren't you Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry just shrugged his shoulders uncertainly, causing Hermione to sigh. "Why not? I should think you of all people should do this. I think it's very useful."

"You think everything is very useful," Ron said.

"Divination's not."

"Well, let's see what you've come up with," Ron said, dropping that subject. He tried to reach for the parchment but Hermione pulled it away, a blush creeping up to her cheeks.

"No, it's mine. You're not supposed to read it."

"Hermione, it's just a stupid assignment and we're your best friends."

"No. You won't even think about doing it, so why should I show you mine? You'll probably just make fun of me."

"Fine, look I'll do it right here and now," Ron said. "The worst thing that could happen to me would be that my family was all killed and I'd be the only one left," Ron said fairly casually. Sure he'd be upset if his whole family was gone, but they weren't and it wasn't going to happen. The possibility was there, especially with Voldemort back, but it wasn't likely. It was just a stupid homework assignment, anyway.

"Now what could make that worse?" Hermione said.

"I just told you that was the worst thing," Ron said, confused. "What's worse than having your whole family taken from you?" Ron asked, forgetting about Harry for a moment.

Hermione, however, didn't. She snuck a glance at Harry, who was trying hard to keep his emotions hidden. "A lot of things, Ron, it just depends on the person," she told him. "This is part of the assignment. You have to keep going until you've finished."

"Fine. I'm all alone and giant spiders come and attack me."

"Ron!" Hermione said.

"What? I hate spiders!"

"You're useless," she complained. "What about Harry and me?"

"Oh, right," Ron said. "It'd be worse if you and Harry were killed too, but I considered you as part of my family." Ron was starting to be a little less nonchalant about the whole mess. It wasn't easy to be talking about everyone he loved being dead.

"Okay, good, now what's worse?"

"What's worse than that?" Ron asked.

"Well, how would you feel? Would that be it for you? Is that your reason to switch sides? Because they killed your family?"

Ron was beginning to squirm in his seat a little and Harry remained quiet.

"I don't know, I don't want to think about it," Ron confessed.

"Well, what if it happens? You have to be prepared."

"What did you write?" Ron asked, switching the conversation from himself to her.

"Well, I went a little more detailed then you, but I'm still not done."

"So, give us what you've got."

"Okay," Hermione said slowly. "Everyone I loved is dead."

"That's the same thing I said!" Ron said defensively.

"But they're dead because of me. Someone made me kill them." This quieted Ron and he knew he had yet to find the worst thing. Harry's next idea came close.

"What if no one made you do it," he said quietly. So far, their discussion had tended to run along the lines of how his life was. His parents had been murdered, the only family he had was the Durselys, but they didn't count. Cedric was dead because of him; true, he hadn't said the curse, but he might as well have. More people were going to die because Voldemort was back, once again, thanks to him. He knew his life hadn't been wonderful, but he was surprised that he was able to last this long. Looking up, he realized that it was because he did have some family left. He still had Ron, Hermione and Sirius. Even Dumbledore.

Hermione was the one that finally broke the silence, choosing to switch to a different subject. "How was your lesson last night?"

"Awful, but I didn't have Potions," Harry said, lowering his voice even more.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, confused.

"I'm taking Occlumency, but I have to tell everyone that I'm taking Remedial Potions. No one's supposed to know what I'm doing. But now, I have to take it two times a week because I'm awful at it. Apparently Dumbledore wants me to be good at it really soon."

"Why do you need Occlumency?"

"I guess so that Voldemort stops going into my mind."

"That makes sense," Hermione said. "Then your dreams will stop and you won't be influenced by him. I wonder... I wonder if it would stop your scar from burning."

"I doubt it," Harry said. "It hurts even when I'm near him, not just when I have a dream."

"True," Hermione said. "Why would Dumbledore want you to start now? Why not earlier?"

"I don't know," Harry said. "I can't believe he wouldn't teach me himself, I mean, what does he expect me to learn from Snape?"

"He must be good at Occlumency," Hermione said. "Otherwise Voldemort would see right through his thoughts and discover he was a spy."

"Yes, but I'm sure Dumbledore's even better, and he knows we can't stand each other. He's a slimy git!" Harry said.

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Hermione said.

"But what are they? I wish he would tell me!"

Hermione's eyes widened in realization. "Maybe that's why he hasn't told you anything!" she said excitedly. "Whatever he tells you has the possibility of transferring back to you, so he won't tell you anything until you've mastered Occlumency. If I were you, I'd work really hard."

"You're probably right," Harry said, upset that he'd actually have to work with Snape in order to get information. What a horrible trade off.

"Just think, the harder you work, the more you practice, the sooner you'll have all the answers," Hermione said. "And with two lessons a week, you're bound to improve quickly."

"I'm glad I'm not you, mate," Ron said, staring at Harry with pity. "Two extra lessons, and those times you'll be by yourself." Ron shivered in horror. "I don't think I could take it." 

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CHAPTER 27: PASSING DAYS 

-------------------BY ORDER OF-----------------------

The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts 

All Student organizations, Societies, Teams, Groups, and Clubs are henceforth disbanded.

An Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club is hereby defined as a regular meeting of three or more students.

Permission to re-form my be sought from the High Inquisitor (Professor Umbridge).

No Student Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club may exist without the knowledge and approval of the High Inquisitor.

Any student found to have formed, or to belong to, an Organization, Society, Team, Group, or Club that has not been approved by the High Inquisitor will be expelled.

The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-four.

Signed:

Dolores Jane Umbridge

HIGH INQUISITOR

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in shock in front of the Gryffindor Tower's bulletin board, looking over Umbridge's latest plan to make their lives hell.

"Who does she think she is?" Ron asked angrily.

"The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts," Hermione said smartly, causing Ron to scowl.

"She's Fudge's right hand man," Harry said. "Er, well, maybe not."

"No, no. Man fits her perfectly," Ron said.

"You're just insulting your gender," Hermione retorted to Ron, who had to stop and think about what he had said.

"You know what I mean," Ron glared.

"How did she know?" Hermione asked, forgetting about Ron. "I mean, she's obviously put this up because of us, but how did she know? We haven't even had our first meeting yet! It was all in the planning stages."

"She must have had spies somewhere," Harry said. "Maybe one of the members said something."

"No, I've charmed the parchment, remember? We'd know if someone told."

"She must've had someone at the Hog's Head that day," Harry said finally.

Hermione said and then said, "Well, what're we going to do now?"

"Why're you asking me?" Harry asked. "You're the one that started this!"

"Yes, but you were elected as leader, so it's up to you."

Harry gave her a look while Ron said, "You fell right into that one, mate."

"We'll keep it going," Harry said after a long pause.

"Even with our new lessons," Hermione said in a whisper.

"Especially now," Harry said. "We have no idea how long this is going to keep up, or what she's really doing. Plus, it can't hurt to have extra practice."

Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement and all three turned back to look at the new legislation with looks of disgust on their faces.

The days flew by quickly as everyone's work load and schedule increased drastically. Between homework, Occlumency, Quidditch practice and planning the DA meetings (the first of which went off without a hitch), Harry was very busy.

Harry was very glad that he rarely saw Profess-no, High Inquisitor Umbridge anymore. And he hadn't had a detention in ages, which was making Angelina much happier. Practices were held daily, to prepare for the upcoming match: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin.

The rest of September flew by, and October came and went just as quickly. The Defence lessons always proved to be interesting, and they were learning more stuff than they had in all previous four years combined. Harry hated to admit it, or was that feeling something else, but Professor Fox was an even better professor than Lupin was.

His Occlumency lessons were going fairly well. At first it was awful trying to learn from Snape, but he was determined to learn as quickly as possible so that he was able to hear what Dumbledore had to say. Plus, he was getting sick and tired of having Snape see his memories. He swore that Snape was actually trying to find the ones he didn't want to share.

One time, he was able to push the spell back onto Snape, much to his later disgust, and saw several memories of the greasy haired potions master.

One memory in particular stuck in his mind, no matter how hard he tried to get rid of it. It wasn't a long memory, in fact, Harry had only glimpsed it before another one took its place, but it was the most memorable. He saw a much younger Snape shove a blonde girl up against the wall. She was definitely not happy, as he could see the slightest bit of fear cross her features; her striking green eyes were burned into his memory. He thought she looked familiar, but he couldn't figure out where he'd seen someone like her before. Obviously he hadn't seen her, because that was some fifteen years ago, before he was even born.

He remembered how furious Snape had been, and much to Harry's surprise, it seemed he was disgusted with himself. Harry wanted to know what had happened, but as he was quickly dismissed, he figured he shouldn't ask. Other attempts at looking inside of Snape's mind were futile; Snape was much more protected around him.

Every night before he went to bed, he cleared his mind and did everything else Snape told him to do. Although, if he was honest with himself, he hadn't really improved much until his one 'detention' with Professor Fox.

He had gotten detention after one really hard class. He hadn't been in a good mood that day, so he might not have been doing as well as he could have. At least, that was the only reason he could think of for receiving detention. As he didn't have Quidditch, and he was so surprised that she gave him it, that he didn't really question it.

If Umbridge had done it, he would have exploded at her, but with Professor Fox, he kind of wanted to have detention. And no, it didn't make any sense to him.

He had gone to her study with brave, but pitying, faces from Hermione and Ron, and strangely enough, a smile from Neville.

She sat in front of her desk, scribbling over several parchments, grading their essays on vampires, he expected.

"Harry, have a seat," she said, gesturing towards the seat facing her desk.

Harry sat and watched silently as she finished writing comments on the side before writing a big E on the top. She then pushed the pile of papers into a drawer and sat back in her chair, looking at Harry.

It was the first time she had been alone with Harry, and truth be told, she was quite scared. Maybe more nervous than scared. She had been watching him in class and during meals, discreetly of course, and she finally thought it was time to meet with him.

She knew he didn't trust her, of course. It was painfully obvious since the first class; he didn't hide his emotions well at all. He wore his heart on his sleeve, like she used to do, as someone had once told her. Now she should earn an Academy Award for all the false performances she'd put on. She had become very good at hiding her real emotions.

Buffy didn't know how much Harry knew about his parents, and well, her, so she wasn't just going to announce it to him. Yet. Based on his attitude and performance in class, she'd say he would jump up, call her a liar, curse her, and then go get Dumbledore. Then who knew what would happen.

She had to play this safe. She had to earn his trust. And, more than anything else, she wanted him to like her. Love her even. If she could, she'd take him away from the Durselys and have him live with her, but he might not even know she existed. Or he assumed she was dead, just like the rest of the wizarding world.

With an evil wizard after him, it wouldn't really do to tell him that she was his long lost aunt come back to life. He was being safe, not trusting everyone, and that was good. Except she wanted him to trust her.

She studied her nephew for a moment, marvelling at how much he looked like James. Except the eyes. Those were without a doubt, Lily's eyes.

"So, Harry," she said, breaking the tense silence. "You were a little... edgy today. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"Talk?" Harry repeated, disbelief evident in his voice. "You gave me a detention so we could talk?"

"Well, kind of," Buffy said. "I believe that detentions should be useful in some way. For the most part, sitting around doing nothing, or copying lines won't do any good. Believe me, I spent plenty of time in detention when I was in school."

"For what?" Harry asked, despite himself. He couldn't believe a ministry official was telling him this. What was she up to?

"For a lot of things," Buffy said, thinking back to her days at Hogwarts and Sunnydale High. "I skipped class on a regular basis; I don't think the teachers liked that very much. I know principle Snyder didn't," she said with a wrinkle of her nose. "Stupid little troll," she muttered to herself, unaware that Harry heard her.

"Principle? Where did you go to school?" Harry asked.

"Oh, um, some school in America. I moved when I was fifteen; not my choice, really," Buffy said. "We used the term principle instead of headmaster."

"Right."

"So, anything going on?" Buffy prodded again.

"Why do you want to know?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes just the slightest, something that Buffy didn't miss.

"Look, if you're going to come into my class acting like a... like you did today," Buffy said, making sure she didn't insult him. Not a nice way to earn his trust, "then you can be kicked out just like Malfoy. I know you don't want that."

Harry was getting furious at this professor. Who was she to tell him how to act? He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"Look, I know we all have bad days, and we all get angry sometimes, but leave it outside of my classroom, please? I'm going to be honest with you; I think you have a temper problem. As in, you can't control it. I've heard the stories of your behaviour from the beginning of school from High Inquisitor Umbridge and I've seen your behaviour around school and in my class. You have a lot of suppressed anger. I'm not sure who you're angry at or why, but it isn't good to keep it locked up inside, trust me.

"If you ever need anyone to talk to, you can come to me and I'd be happy to listen. I'd even be happy to help you figure out whatever problem you need solved."

"Why?" Harry asked suspiciously. Did she want the inside details so she could send them to Minister Fudge?

"I was a counsellor at a school in America for a while, I've got some experience with this." 'Not that anyone thought I was all that great,' Buffy thought, remembering Robin Wood's laughter as he told her why he'd hired her. She had thought she was doing a decent job; sure, she couldn't help everybody, but being The Slayer was tough. Late nights and early mornings do not do good things to her attention span.

"Why aren't you still a counsellor?" Harry asked.

"Um, well, I wanted a change."

"So you went all the way to the Ministry in London?" he asked sceptically. Alarms were going off in his head; she wasn't being honest with him. He couldn't trust her.

"Well, it was a long process," Buffy tried to cover.

"You're not that old," Harry challenged bluntly.

"I was a counsellor for less than a year," Buffy said, staring into his eyes.

"You left in the middle of the year?"

"They didn't need me anymore."

"So you weren't good enough?" Harry countered, noticing with little satisfaction that a flicker of something he didn't recognize flashed through her eyes. When he blinked it was gone.

"The school closed," she said. "I was out of a job, I decided to go back home, I picked up the pieces of my old life and applied for a secretarial job in the Ministry before I began to climb the ladder."

Harry was silent for a moment, contemplating everything she had told him. "What do you do now?"

"I teach," Buffy said, her forehead wrinkling slightly at the obvious answer.

"I mean at the Ministry."

"I don't think that's any of your business," Buffy said finally, not able to think of a good department. She had said she climbed the ladder so she couldn't be a secretary, and if she named a department, it was possible he would go look it up. Or maybe Hermione would when he told her, which he undoubtedly would.

Buffy knew she had chosen the wrong thing to say, when once again, Harry's eyes clouded over with suspicion.

"So are we done yet?" Harry asked.

"No," Buffy said, lifting an eyebrow at him. "We still haven't fixed your attitude problem."

"I'm not going to talk to you," he said.

"Fine. I don't want to listen. But you will do what I tell you to. You are in detention after all."

Harry scowled at her angrily.

"Like that, see?" Buffy pointed out. "There's no need to get upset. You're in trouble, deal with it. Don't take it out on me. Nobody's going to like you if you keep venting your frustration on your friends."

"Most people are too scared of me anyway; they all think I'm psychotic, thanks to your ministry and the papers," he said, folding his arms over his chest.

"And I'm sure your attitude is really helping to deny those accusations," Buffy said. "If you yell, throw things, talk back to teachers, snap at your friends, they're really going to flock towards you."

"Nobody's telling me anything!" Harry grumbled unconsciously, his frustrations coming back again. "I have to do what everyone says and I'm not even sure why! And nobody believes anything I say anyway. It's all going to get twisted around!" Harry stopped abruptly, suddenly realizing exactly who he was talking to. A possible spy for the Ministry. For Fudge.

"What aren't they telling you, Harry?" Buffy said, unaware that her question solidified Harry's theory.

Harry sat in silence, not acknowledging her presence.

Buffy sighed and sat back in her chair. "Maybe if you were a little nicer, a little calmer, people would be more willing to accept you. In other words, grow up."

Harry's head snapped up at her words and he glared angrily at her. "You have no idea..." he started, but stopped once again.

"Life is hard and it's painful and it's everyday, but it's something you have to deal with," Buffy said. "You have your friends to help pull you through, but if you pull away and alienate yourself then it's going to be so much worse.

"You have to realize that the world doesn't revolve around you, that everyone has lives they have to take care of and other priorities. That's just life. You won't always be on the top of the list and if you get jilted, then you just have to deal with it. Do what you're supposed to do and be as happy as you can while you're doing it. It's the little things in life that make all the difference. Who's going to be at your side through it all? Why are they going to be there? It does matter, Harry.

"Don't be angry, don't be stressed, live happily. After all, stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Life is short, eat dessert first," Buffy finished with a smile.

"What?" Harry asked, startled by her strange ending.

"It's an old saying I heard once. I thought it was cute."

"Oh," Harry said.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Buffy asked seriously.

Harry just nodded, his mind whirling.

"It's not always easy to keep your emotions in check," Buffy said, "But it can be done with practice. And it does get easier. Meditation helps a lot. Basically, you focus your energies on yourself and finding your inner calm. Typically, the more controlled you are, the less vulnerable you are."

And for the next hour the two of them practiced meditating, clearing one's mind and focusing one's energies.

Harry did that every night he went to sleep, as he found it decreased the chances of nightmares, letting him sleep better than he had in months, and it also helped him in Occlumency.

He was also much more pleasant to be around; he was much more like his old self than the strange angry person that had developed over the summer, much to Hermione and Ron's pleasure.

Harry was even much happier than he had been. He still didn't trust Professor Fox, but he did respect her. To some degree. She was, after all, still a ministry official under Fudge's control.

The Quidditch stands were filled with people, oddly enough, some of them were singing, but the lyrics were drowned out by the whistling and cheering.

It was the first game of the season, Gryffindor vs Slytherin. Harry was fairly confident, as they had not yet lost to Malfoy's team, but he was a little nervous for Ron, who looked like he might keel over any minute. His nerves combined with the shock of playing in front of the whole school were not a good combination.

The game began and Harry flew high to look for the snitch. Unfortunately, he kept getting distracted by Ron's performance, which was getting worse with each passing moment. The Slytherin's and their song were not helping either.

"Weasley cannot save a thing,

He cannot block a single ring,

That's why Slytherins all sing:

Weasley is our King."

Harry flew around frustrated because of the stupid lyrics. He knew Lee was trying his best to drown out the song, but it was a useless attempt.

"Weasley was born in a bin,

He always lets the Quaffle in,

Weasley will make sure we win,

Weasley is our King."

Harry turned around on his broom, abandoning his search for the snitch, in order to watch Ron play. Once again, Ron let the Quaffle go right by. "Stop listening, Ron!" Harry muttered to himself. "You're better than this."

"Weasley is our King,

Weasley is our King,

He always lets the Quaffle in,

Weasley is our King."

Harry beat his hand on his broomstick as he watched the Slytherins gain possession of the Quaffle once more. He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard Angelina yelling at him.

"Harry, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET GOING!"

It was only then that Harry realized he had been stationary for more than a minute, forgetting completely about the snitch, which was the 150-point sphere. He flew around, glancing at Malfoy once to make sure he didn't see the golden ball.

As they circled the pitch, looking in opposite directions, Harry heard Malfoy singing along with the song. He forced himself to calm down and find the snitch. He could sing all he wanted, but in the end, Gryffindor would be victorious.

Harry was circling closer to Malfoy and every once and a while he had to dodge the Bludgers that Crabbe and Goyle were frequently sending at him. Fred and George were doing an admirable job sending them straight back to where they came.

A glint of gold shone in Harry's right eye, and he turned his broom sharply to see the golden snitch hovering high in the air, quite a ways away from both him and Malfoy, but closer to Malfoy.

Harry took off on his broom, wanting to get ahead of Malfoy, who had yet to spot it. If he had tried to be sneaky, it wouldn't have worked, as he had avoided Malfoy for the entire game. He had yet to get within a hundred feet of him, and he'd have to get fairly close in order to pass by. He figured racing was the way to go.

Naturally, Malfoy didn't notice him until he flew right by, but then the blonde took off right behind him.

Coming closer to the snitch, it decided it wanted to play more, so it shot straight up into the sky. Higher and higher, causing Harry and Malfoy to fly almost vertically.

Harry was so focused on the snitch that he didn't notice Crabbe and Goyle still shooting the Bludgers at him. Fred and George were getting a little off track, as the singing and Ron distracted them. They were trying to help Ron stay focused, but they forgot that the two Slytherin beaters wanted to get Harry out of the match.

In his peripheral vision, Harry saw a blur coming at him and he spun his broom like a top, causing the bludger to miss the underside of the broom as it past, while allowing him to stay on his path of chasing the snitch.

Malfoy was right underneath him, and suddenly, the snitch veered off horizontally again. Harry turned sharply, not even thinking about how high they were, but noticed that Malfoy was beneath him, attempting to catch it from below.

Harry flew faster on his broom, casuign Malfoy to drop behind him. He was almost there. . .

Harry reached out his hand for the snitch, but pulled back as one of the bludgers charged right by him. While he was avoiding the one Bludger and still keeping his eye on the snitch, Harry didn't see the one Crabbe had shot that was heading straight for him until it was too late.

The bludger collided with him, slamming into his chest, knocking out his breath, and breaking a few of his ribs. The force of the bludger caused him to slide backwards off the broom.

It seemed like forever that Harry was falling in mid-air, it was only now that he vaguely realized how high he was, but in reality it was less than a second before he collided with Malfoy who was still speeding off towards the snitch on his broom.

Harry slammed into Malfoy, jarring the broom and causing it to flip upside down. Acting on instinct, Harry grabbed onto the broomstick, catching himself from the fall. Farther down on the broom, Malfoy was holding on with his legs, surprised at the right side up face of Harry Potter, as his own blonde hair hung upside down.

Malfoy snarled at Harry to get off, so Harry did just that.

Harry swung himself upward, using the broom like a muggle gymnast, flipping himself up to the top or bottom, since Malfoy's feet were gripping tightly to the broom, keeping himself from plummeting to the ground. Once he was up, he released the broom and used his momentum to finish the swing.

Harry planted his feet on the broom for the briefest of seconds, standing on it only long enough to push off, launching himself towards his own broom a few feet away.

Harry didn't hear the screams of the crowds as he had first fallen off, and he didn't hear them now as his right hand didn't grip the broom and he began to plummet once more towards the ground. All he knew was that he couldn't let another Cedric Diggory loss happen, especially to Malfoy.

As he fell towards the ground, he was vaguely aware of passing Malfoy, who had righted his broom and showed no motion to help him out. Everyone in the stands were still screaming, but all Harry saw was a broom moving swiftly towards him. It was someone on his team. But they weren't low enough.

Harry was dropping too quickly and passed the broom's height before his saviour could help him.

However, the Gryffindor was not going to let Harry fall to his doom, and he flung himself over the side of his broom as Harry sailed by, grabbing onto his left arm, stopping him from his death dive.

The two of them hung in the air for a second to catch their breath. "Alright there Harry?" George asked.

Harry looked up at him and grinned faintly, holding up the snitch in his right hand. "Fine," he said.

George's eyes widened in astonishment. "You took that dive to save the snitch! Are you mad?"

"I figured I should prove the rumours right," Harry said, happy that everything was okay. The horrified screams of the crowds now changed to ecstatic excitement, as they couldn't believe what had just happened.

George just laughed as he hung upside down from his broom, Harry's left arm still in his own.

George was just about to pull Harry up, and put himself right side up, since the blood rushing to his head was making his face match his vibrant hair, when a bludger ran into the small of Harry's back, knocking him out of George's grip.

Cries of outrage rang through the crowd, as Goyle had shot the bludger after the snitch had been caught, and at a helpless person. Luckily for Harry, he had fallen quite a ways before George had caught him, so he didn't fall nearly so far.

However, it was still a painful landing.

Once again, the air was knocked out of his lungs and his ribs protested painfully. Harry could see his team-mates all coming to a stop around him, worried about his safety. Even Ron had forgotten his painful performance to check on Harry.

Madame Hooch had come over and was looking him over, declaring that he needed to go to the hospital wing. Everything was happening too fast for Harry. People were congratulating him and scolding him, handing him things, like his broom, shoving him this way, and pushing him that way. Too many people were talking; he hit his head a little harder than he would have liked.

Unfortunately, he was able to hear Malfoy's vicious comments to the Weasleys. He tried to hold back George and Ron, even though he was still a little shaky, but Malfoy finally went too far.

"Or perhaps," said Malfoy, leering as he backed away, "you can remember what your mother's house stank like, Potter, and Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it—."

Harry was not aware of releasing George and Ron, all he knew was that a second later all three of them were sprinting after Malfoy. With all the craziness that had happened, he had completely forgotten about his anger management issues, and all the teachers that were watching. All he had wanted to do was cause Malfoy as much pain as possible. With no time to draw out his wand, and his anger fuelling his tired body, he drew back the fist still clutching the Snitch and sank it as hard as he could into Malfoy's stomach, while Ron attacked Goyle for his unsportsmanlike behaviour.

Girls' voices were screaming, Malfoy was yelling, others were swearing, and then Harry was hit with an Impedimenta curse, knocking him backwards.

Madame Hooch came storming up, breaking up the fight. "I've never seen behaviour like it — back up to the castle, all three of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! Now!"

Reflecting back, Harry should have realized that it wouldn't have been a good idea to attack Malfoy. As he sat in front of McGonagall's stern, disappointed, and unhappy face, he knew he was going to get punished severely.

Unfortunately, he didn't count on it becoming much worse. But it did. As soon as a "Hem, hem" interrupted McGonagall's lecture.

Professor McGonagall did her best to ignore and dismiss the High Inquisitor, who was strangely accompanied by Professor Fox, but she would not be dissuaded.

She pulled out another roll of parchment, "Educational Decree Number Twenty-five."

"Not another one!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall violently. Harry looked up to see Professor Fox looking mildly amused by the outburst, but her features were soon blank again.

"So... I really think I will have to ban these three from playing Quidditch ever again," Umbridge said, looking from Harry to George to Ron and back again.

"What?!" Ron yelled.

"Ban us?" Harry asked, his voice sounding strangely distant. "From playing... ever again?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I think a lifelong ban ought to do the trick," said Umbridge, her smile widening still further as she watched him struggle to comprehend what she had said. "And I think, to be safe, this young man's twin ought to be stopped too-if his team-mates had not restrained him, I feel sure he would have attacked young Mr. Malfoy as well."

"Dolores, a word, please," Buffy said, speaking up for the first time since entering the office.

Dolores scowled but then walked outside the door with her fellow ministry employee. It wouldn't look well to dismiss her totally.

"Yes," Umbridge said.

"Are you mad?" Buffy asked, not realizing the door hadn't closed all the way and that the four people inside could still hear her.

"Excuse me?"

"You cannon ban four of the Gryffindor players for life," Buffy said. "Do you have any idea what that will look like?"

"Will it look something like expelling Mr. Malfoy from class for life?" Umbridge retorted.

"No, because nobody likes Mr. Malfoy," Buffy said slowly, as if explaining it to a small child. "If you ban them, they'll become martyrs, except they didn't have to die. The whole school will soon rebel against us! You cannot do this," she finally hissed.

Buffy knew how much Quidditch must mean to Harry and the other boys; it had meant a lot to her when she was on the team, and she couldn't imagine ever being banned from playing.

"Actually, I can, and I just did. Fortunately, I am High Inquisitor and you are not."

"Well, fortunately, I might not be High Inquisitor, but Fudge did appoint me to this position himself, and I'm sure that he'll back anything I say. Plus, you said you'd back any decision I made. Remember?" Buffy said.

"I don't know what you're playing at, but you've obviously forgotten our goals. Banning him from Quidditch is just the first step towards expulsion," Umbridge said, hissing the last part so quietly that the people inside didn't hear.

"I remember the goals perfectly well, thanks," Buffy said. "But there are better ways to achieve them; this is stupid and immature."

"Then I'm glad it's not up to you."

Buffy glared at Umbridge before continuing on. "Fine. I guess I'll have to dismiss Mr. Goyle from Quidditch for purposely hitting a Bludger at a defenceless player after the game was over, Mr. Crabbe for hitting a potentially fatal bludger at another player, and Mr. Malfoy for not helping Mr. Potter as he fell. I think these all qualify for lifelong bans, if a simple fight after the game is over does as well. I don't think Mr. Malfoy would be too happy to hear his only son was banned from Quidditch as well as class. I might as well expel the kid. And don't ridicule me, because I do have the power."

Umbridge glared at the blonde before admitting defeat and storming away angrily.

Buffy smiled to herself outside, happy that she had saved Harry and the Weasley's from a horrible punishment. She steeled her face and marched back inside the room.

"You're punishment has been revoked due to the amount of people involved. You will all serve detentions with Professor Snape for the next week, no arguments. Fifty house points will be deducted total. I'm sure that fighting is not uncommon at this school, but I would have expected better from you. You are also banned from practice for the next week, just so that you'll have plenty of time to do your homework and your detentions."

Buffy turned to leave and then added, "Next time, think first. It's not always smart to go charging in headfirst when it's easier to walk away."

Buffy left the group of three students and one professor, each one shocked at what had just occurred.

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CHAPTER 28: DISCOVERIES AND ENCOURAGEMENT

"She did what?" Hermione asked for the third time that night, clearly in shock over the events that had transpired only hours ago in Professor McGonagall's office.

"She let us go," Ron said. "I was beginning to think that Umbridge was going to eat us, but Professor Fox stood up to her. She's my hero," Ron sighed.

Harry frowned at Ron while Hermione rolled her eyes. "That doesn't seem right," she said, deep in thought. "I mean, why would she go against Umbridge? They're supposed to be working on the same side. Ugh!" she yelled suddenly, slamming the book she had been studying down on the table, startling Harry and Ron. "None of this makes sense!"

"Hermione's finally lost it," Ron said with wide eyes. "She's hurting her books; I'd never thought I'd see the day."

"The book's fine, Ron," Hermione huffed.

"I know what you mean," Harry said, causing two sets of eyes to look at him in surprise. "It doesn't make sense. None of it does. There's something about Professor Fox... ever since I first saw her, I've had this feeling... but I'm not even sure what the feeling is, I just know that something isn't right. She acts like a different person every time I see her. It's like she wants me to trust her, but then she's talking about some plan that they have, and I think that I'm a part of that stupid plan, and I just don't know who to believe anymore," Harry finally finished his semi-rant.

"You know you can always trust us," Hermione said loyally, causing Harry to give a small smile.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said. "It's just everyone else I don't trust," he said, remembering his previous DADA professors.

"Not even Dumbledore?" Ron asked.

Harry paused for a few seconds, considering, then said, "I don't know. He's been acting stranger than usual since the summer, and I have this feeling he's hiding something from me. He said he'd tell me once I've finished remedial potions, but I think I've gotten good enough to know."

Just then, the portrait door opened and Professor McGonagall entered. "Harry, come with me, please."

Harry gave a worried glance towards his two friends but obediently got up and followed his head of house. He figured he was still in trouble due to the Quidditch match. The party in the common room had long since died down and most people were heading to bed. It was really late, and Harry was surprised Professor McGonagall couldn't wait until morning.

Once the portrait door closed, Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and said, "Professor Dumbledore wants to see you. He's waiting in his office." With that said, she turned and walked off, presumably to get some sleep.

Harry walked the familiar path to the headmaster's office, curious as to what he wanted to discuss, while slightly nervous due to his behavior at the Quidditch match. He wouldn't get any more punishment, would he?

Harry muttered the password to the gargoyle and then slowly walked up the steps to Professor Dumbledore's office. He heard Dumbledore's voice beckoning him in before he even had a chance to knock.

Whatever Harry had expected to find upon opening the door, it wasn't this. Professor Dumbledore was sitting wearily behind his desk, his eyes had lost their familiar twinkle that had become so reassuring to Harry over the years, and he just looked, well, old.

"Professor?" Harry asked cautiously. He knew his behavior was uncalled for, actually, it was totally called for, it just wasn't very appropriate, but he didn't think it was bad enough for Dumbledore to look so... sad.

Maybe this wasn't about the Quidditch match, surely he would've summoned him earlier. Something else must have happened. Fear gripped Harry's heart as he let his thoughts wander to what could have happened. Who could have been hurt.

"Professor, is everyone okay? Is anyone hurt?"

Dumbledore gave a small smile, appreciating Harry's selfless concerns. "Everyone's fine. That's not why I called you here. Please, have a seat," he said, gesturing to the seat across from his desk where Harry had sat many times before. Fawkes came flying off his perch and landed on Harry's shoulder, giving him more reassurance and strength. He always did like Fawkes.

"If this is about the Quidditch match, I'm sorry, but Malfoy was provoking me, saying awful things..."

Dumbledore held up his hand to stop Harry's ramblings, giving a slight chuckle at the eventful afternoon. "No, it's not about that, either," he said. "Although, that was a very well played game, not to mention fairly dangerous. You'd still be in the hospital wing if Mr. Weasley hadn't caught you," he said seriously.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, feeling slightly foolish for the way he risked his life just to catch the snitch. He continued to absently stroke Fawkes' head.

"It has happened before and I have no doubt it will happen again," Dumbledore said, reminding Harry of his other dangerously played games. "When you set your mind to something, there's not much that will stop you."

Harry didn't have much to say to that. "But, if no one's hurt, and I'm not in any more trouble, why did you call me?" Harry asked, bewildered.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "Right to the point; you were never one to be deterred. I hear your Occlumency lessons have been going quite well."

"Yes, sir," Harry said, becoming slightly more excited at where the conversation was heading. It seemed that maybe he'd finally have all the answers he so desperately wanted. But why wasn't Dumbledore happier?

"I should have told you this five years ago, but I wanted to protect you; I wanted you to have some type of happiness. Now that you have become sufficient at Occlumency, I can rest assured that this information will not be passed on to Voldemort, which I don't need to tell you would be a significant problem. I am going to tell you everything. I ask only a little patience. You will have your chance to rage at me – to do whatever you like – when I have finished. I will not stop you."

And so Dumbledore began his tale to Harry, telling him why he must stay at the Dursely's, his only blood relation, for at least a month each summer, why he neglected to inform him of this information during each opportunity that presented itself, why he watched him grow up without telling him the real reason why Voldemort wanted him dead.

Harry sat silent for most of the story, asking questions only when needed; most of it made some sense, and he couldn't be too mad at Dumbledore for not telling him. He did what he thought was appropriate at the time and he couldn't be too upset because he just wanted what was best for him. He cared about him and his happiness, and there were very few people in the world that did. No matter how much Harry might have wanted to know the truth before, he was going to get it now. No one had gotten seriously hurt, except for Cedric, but that might have happened with or without his knowledge.

"Voldemort tried to kill you when you were a child because of a prophecy made shortly before your birth. He knew that prophecy had been made, thought he did not know its full contents. The dreams you have been having are Voldemort's attempts to lure you to the Department of Mysteries where you will find the entire prophecy. Only the people the prophecy has been made about will be able to take the prophecy; therefore, Voldemort wanted you to take the prophecy so he could steal it from you. This is the weapon he has been seeking so assiduously since his return: the knowledge of how to destroy you."

Dumbledore continued on, telling the shocked Harry more details about the prophecy, how it came to be in the Department of Mysteries, how it was first told to him, and how he is the only one that knows the prophecy in its entirety.

He picked up the pensieve he had sitting on the corner of his desk and placed his wand to his temple, bringing the memory to the basin.

Much to Harry's surprise, the familiar figure of Professor Trelawney rose up, however, her voice reminded Harry more of the time during his third year exam when she predicted a servant's escape, than of her usual surreal, mystic voice.

"THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES... BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES... AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT... AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES... THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES..."

The silence that was left after the misty figure retreated back into the shallow stone basin was overwhelming. The portraits didn't move, Dumbledore didn't speak, and Fawkes had stopped his satisfied cooing that came from Harry's petting, although Harry had stopped petting him some time ago.

Harry tried to wrap his brain around the new information finally presented to him. He tried to understand what Dumbledore was trying to tell him, but he was in such a state of shock that not much was penetrating his mind. On some level he understood, but he needed Dumbledore to make sure he was right.

Harry didn't want to believe that this was his destiny, one that he couldn't escape, so when Dumbledore said that Neville had also been a potential, Harry felt a ray of hope run through him; maybe he could have a normal life after all. Maybe he could stop worrying about the dangers and threats around him and start enjoying his life with his friends.

Dumbledore crushed all his hope when he confirmed what his heart still believed; that Neville wasn't it, Neville would never be it, and it was in fact him that the prophecy was made about. "But I don't have any powers that he hasn't got!" Harry said in a strangled voice.

"There is a room in the Department of Mysteries," Dumbledore said, "that is kept locked at all times. It contains a force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than forces of nature. It is also, perhaps, the most mysterious of the subjects for study that reside there. It is the power held within that room that you possess in such quantities and which Voldemort has not at all. That power has saved you over the years, led you through many different trials and has helped guide you when you were lost. It doesn't matter that you may not beat him in a proper dual, as he has access to the darkest of arts or that you might not be able to close off your mind completely. It will be, as it has been before, your heart that saves you."

Harry closed his eyes, thinking back to all the battles he had already had with Voldemort, to the one that would inevitably end it all. "The end of the prophecy... it was something about... 'neither can live...''"

"'...while the other survives,'" said Dumbledore.

"So," said Harry, dredging up the words from what felt like a deep well of despair inside him, "so does that mean that... that one of us has got to kill the other one... in the end?"

"Yes," said Dumbledore.

Harry sat there stunned, neither of the two said anything, allowing all the information to process. In the end, he'd either be a murderer or a victim. He didn't really want to be either. If he became a murderer, he'd become just like Voldemort. That's why he didn't let Sirius and Remus kill Pettigrew in his third year; he didn't want his dad's best friends to become murderers, no better than the person they would have killed. Now it seemed that he might become one.

"I feel I owe you another explanation, Harry," said Dumbledore hesitantly. "You may, perhaps, have wondered why I never chose you as a prefect? I must confess... that I rather thought... you had enough responsibility to be going on with."

Harry looked up at him and saw a tear trickling down Dumbledore's face into his long silver beard.

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"Buffy, you okay?" Willow asked when her friend appeared in the flat's living room.

"Yeah, it's been a long day," she said, explaining what happened with Harry, the Quidditch match and the following arguments. "I swear that kid is going to drive me into an early grave," Buffy said. "Well, another one, anyway. You should have seen the incredibly stupid dive he took. He could've been killed, falling from so high up. I know I stopped breathing for a minute and I'm fairly certain my heart stopped for a couple of beats. Even James wasn't that bad. I don't know where he gets it from, it's certainly not Lily. I'm surprised he's not dead yet, all the reckless, dangerous things he does. I've heard the stories, I know," Buffy ranted.

"Uh, Buff," Xander said with a smile, trying to get her attention.

"What?" she said snappishly.

"Well, I definitely think he's related to you," Willow said when Xander backed off.

"Who else do we know is crazy, reckless, dangerous, sometimes foolish, and rash?" Xander said, giving in to the temptation.

"I am not any of those things," Buffy said defensively.

"Uh huh," Anya snorted. "And I have all the money I've ever wanted."

"I'm not!" Buffy said, looking at her friends who were looking at her with amusement. "I have plans of attack."

"Sometimes," Willow agreed.

"And then sometimes you go in with a couple of screws loose," Xander said.

"Well, I think better on my feet," Buffy said.

"Maybe he does too," Willow said.

"Trust me, his feet were no where near the ground," Buffy said, getting back into lecture mode.

"I can't wait to see you two together," Willow said happily.

"Think of the damage that could be done," Anya said.

"As long as I don't have to fix anything, I can't wait. Maybe we could blow up another school."

"We are not destroying Hogwarts," Buffy said with wide eyes.

"But... that would actually make a school you've gone in without destroying some, if not all, of it," Willow said.

"And we can't break tradition," Xander said with a smile.

"No," Buffy said firmly.

"Okay, just admit that you can be crazy and rash and dangerous," Willow said.

"And planless," Xander added.

"I have plans," Buffy said. "Most of the time. Anyway, I don't need plans. I see the end and I get there successfully."

"As did Harry," Willow said. "He wasn't hurt, or killed, and he won, didn't he?"

"Yes, but why are you defending him?" Buffy asked.

"Just so you don't go too hard on him later," Willow said. "You've done crazier and more stupid things than he will ever do, so be nice. You want him to trust and love you, not despise you."

"Always have to be reasonable," Buffy grumbled. "Besides, he doesn't even know who I am yet."

"If you continue to assert such an active stance in controversial events, you're identity will be quickly questioned and discovered," Giles said.

"In other words," Xander said, turning to Buffy, "Keep your mouth shut and your head down, otherwise someone's going to figure it out."

"I don't know if I care anymore," Buffy said. "I mean, Sirius and Remus are probably... they're probably dead."

"You don't know that," Willow said, gently.

"They're not on the maps, Will! A long time ago I might have doubted your skills, but not anymore. If you can't find them they're not there. I don't think they can just disappear like that without being dead!"

"Geez people, lighten up."

"Faith?" Buffy asked with wide eyes, seeing the dark haired slayer enter into the room.

"The front door was open. Well, it was unlocked at least. I was in town looking for some potential slayers and thought I'd drop by. I can leave, if you want," she said, looking at all the shocked faces.

"No, no," Buffy said, coming out of her reverie. "That's fine. I'm actually... I'm glad you're here."

"Like I said, I'm only here for a couple of days at the most, but I figured you might like to go patrolling."

Buffy's eyes widened. "I would love to. I haven't been patrolling in ages! I can't believe I'd actually miss going out, but what can you do? The forest at Hogwarts is really creepy and perfect, but I'm afraid I'd just be hanging up a sign that said, 'Slayer, come eat me,' on it if I went in there."

"Well, are we gonna go? It's already pretty late," Faith said, gesturing towards the door.

"Yeah... Oh, no. I don't have any weapons and I'm supposed to do this thing with Willow."

"No, Buffy, go. We can't do anything anyway; I meant to ask you to pick up some more ingredients. We'll do it later," Willow said.

"Weapons?"

"We have some in the bedroom," Giles said.

"Kinky," Faith said.

"In the trunk under the bed," Giles added, removing his glasses with a sigh.

"But I left my favorite ones at Hogwarts," Buffy pouted.

"Aren't you a witch?" Anya asked.

Buffy brightened considerably. "Oh yeah," she said. "Ooohhh, now I can customize my very own. Wanna see some magic?" she asked Faith with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Sure," Faith said, after glancing at everyone else and noticing none of them seemed concerned.

Buffy whipped out her wand, muttered a few choice words under her breath and suddenly, the glass on the table next to Faith became a wicked looking sword.

Faith broke out into a wide, appreciative grin. "Now that's what I'm talking about," she said, reaching for the sword.

"Let's make it a matching pair," Buffy said, waving her wand at the dirty plate in the sink. "Ready to go?" she asked, lifting her own sword.

"Ready," Faith said, heading out the door.

"Don't wait up," Buffy said, closing the door. "Merlin, I've missed this," Buffy said, swinging the sword experimentally.

"It definitely grows on you."

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"This is a definite setback," Voldemort said, grinding his teeth in frustration.

"What is, my lord?" Wormtail said from his low bow on the ground.

"Someone taught the brat Occlumency. Now my plans to get him to steal the prophecy are useless. I'll have to find another way. Although, I bet the old fool told him what the prophecy was. It won't take too much to get it out of him. How is the project coming along?"

"Very... very good, sir. It sh... should be ready before Christmas," Wormtail said.

"Excellent. And what of this new professor that's causing so much trouble?"

"My Lord," Lucius said stepping forward, keeping his head bowed. "I do not recognize her as a Ministry official. I have even checked the records of employees and there has been no one named Sarah Fox ever working there, in any department. Sarah Fox does not exist."

"Well, I suggest you find out who she is," Voldemort said, his silky voice laced with the promise of pain.

"Yes, my Lord," Malfoy said, stepping back in relief that he wasn't tortured this time.

"Now everyone get back to work. I want this finished!" Voldemort said.

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"I'm worried about him, Ron," Hermione said as she walked to class with only one of her best friends. "Dumbledore must have told him something awful. He came in so late last night, he hasn't talked to us all morning, and he didn't even have breakfast."

"Do you think he'll show up for class?" Ron asked.

"Why would he?" Hermione asked, as if the idea of skipping class was totally absurd. "It is Defense Against the Dark Arts; it's his favorite class."

Ron just rolled his eyes at Hermione's attitude. They walked into the class and sat in their normal seats, getting a little anxious when they discovered Harry wasn't in class yet. They weren't that early themselves.

"Where is he Ron?" Hermione asked anxiously. Unbeknownst to them, Buffy heard their conversation, thanks to her Slayer hearing, and was wondering what could have happened now.

Just as she was about to start class, Harry Potter came through the door, not looking all that good. Buffy frowned as she surveyed his extremely messy hair, his wrinkled robes, the bags under his eyes, and the contemplative frown that marred his features. It looked like someone had been brooding all night long. But what about?

Buffy shut the door, closed and locked all the windows, and placed a silencing charm around the classroom, like she did at the start of every class.

"We've been studying Vampires and different types of Demons lately. Now, we'll learn about the Vampire Slayer," Buffy said. She was a little uneasy about bringing up this topic seeing as how Hermione was so sharp. Buffy was afraid someone would figure it out, but it was unlikely. She didn't go patrolling and she hadn't really shown her strength, so she didn't have too much to worry about.

Her announcement was met with a bunch of snickers and disbelieving looks.

"What?" she asked.

"The Slayer is a myth," Seamus said, murmurs of agreement coming from the rest of the class. "Why do we have to learn about myths in D? Isn't that what History of Magic is for?"

"Myths and legends are basically the same thing," Hermione spoke up from the front. "They are stories told, passed down through the generations, based once upon a time, on fact. There is some evidence of Slayers being real, stories of girls that have battled great monsters," Hermione said.

"Yeah, there's also stories of Bigfoot but that doesn't make it true," Dean said, the muggle reference lost on most everyone.

"I mean, really, Hermione," Ron said. "Girls battling demons? Yeah, right." Every girl turned to glare at Ron, Hermione included, and Ron decided to retract his comment somewhat. "I mean, it wasn't too long ago that women were still considered inferior to men." This didn't help much and he began to blush. "Of course, now we know that women are equal, and in some cases... most cases... all cases... are better than men." Now all the guys in the room were glaring at Ron.

"Just shut up, mate," Harry advised, saying the first thing since Dumbledore's talk the night before.

Ron groaned and slid down in his seat.

"Back to Vampire Slayers, since Miss Granger seems to know enough about them, why don't you inform the rest of the class just what the Slayer is," Buffy said.

"Into every generation a Slayer is born, one girl with the strength and skill to stop the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. She has a watcher, which guides her and helps to train her. I'm afraid that's almost all I know. I've ran across a reference to the Slayer when I was researching for our essay on vampires, and there really wasn't too much about her.

"The wizarding world believes her to be a myth as they don't think a muggle would have the power to do anything. And it's absurd that the Slayer is a witch, because the amount of power she would have is too much for a normal person to handle; that amount of energy would collapse the human body and destroy the mind. Most people believe that the alleged Slayer is just a witch that tricks people, mainly muggles, into thinking she's not using any magic."

'"Very good," Buffy said. "Twenty points to Gryffindor. Now, the question is, do you believe in her? Anyone?" Buffy asked, addressing the class.

Most were hesitant, and only a couple raised their hands in a so-so manner.

"Do you?" Neville asked, causing Buffy to give a small smile.

"Yes. I mean, given what we've talked about already, it seems perfectly reasonable. Remember, a long time ago the world was full of pure Demons, and they were all driven away. The last one mixed its blood and created a vampire. Now this was ages and ages and ages ago. Don't you think that without a Vampire Slayer, the world as we know it would be destroyed, or at least overrun by vampires?"

"The witches and wizards of the world are what control the vampire and demon population from getting out of control," Parvati said. "I mean, one person couldn't have made that much of a difference."

Her words caused Buffy to raise an eyebrow at her. "One person makes all the difference," Buffy said seriously.

"But all those vampires," Lavender said, speaking up for her friend, "and demons. There's only one at a time; imagine how many she'd have to kill. It's impossible."

"Hundreds and hundreds, I'm sure," Buffy said. "Besides, I doubt that The Slayer is the only one in the entire world fighting the forces of darkness, but I bet she plays a key role in keeping the world from going to hell."

"Oh, so now the world's going to be destroyed?" Parvati scoffed.

"Why not?" Buffy asked with a shrug. "I mean, the demons don't like all the humans around; I'm fairly certain most of them would just like to send the world to hell, killing and torturing every last human being, letting the world become overrun by demons like it once used to. Way. Back. Then."

Still the class looked at her in disbelief.

"Okay, we'll take an example. You still don't think one person can make a difference? What about Voldemort?" Buffy asked, and was relatively surprised when almost the whole class flinched. "What?" she asked, confused.

"You said his name," Lavender whispered.

"So?" Buffy asked, confused. "Why wouldn't I say it? What else am I supposed to call him?"

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," someone whispered.

"You-Know-Who," another one said.

"You have got to be kidding me," Buffy said, rolling her eyes. "You're afraid of a name?"

By this time, Harry was paying rapt attention to the professor, and the rest of the class' reactions.

"It's a name. Your name is Lavender, your name is Parvati, yours is Hermione, yours is Ron, yours is Neville, yours is Seamus," Buffy said. "It's a name."

"But you're supposed to fear him," Lavender whispered. "You can't just say his name."

"Why not?" Buffy asked again. No one answered so Buffy continued. "Is he gonna hear and come running? I thought he was defeated fifteen years ago, anyway. And you still don't say his name? You people have some serious issues.

"Just by saying his name, he's not going to rise from the dead, he's not going to come rushing in here to kill all of you, he's not going to magically appear and be really pissed off because someone said his name. Look, if you're afraid of his name, I can't even imagine how scared you are of him. He's only human. Even if he did manage to make himself immortal somehow, all you have to do is chop off his head. That'll kill him real quick.

"We cannot go any farther in this lesson until all of you say his name nice and loud. Fear of a name only increases the fear of the thing itself. If you fear it, it's very difficult to fight it. Overcome your fears and you'll be much better off."

Harry stared at the professor, wondering if she knew her words echoed ones that were told to him when he was a first year student.

Slowly, one by one, the class began to say the name. Some stuttered it out very quietly, but Buffy quickly put a sonorous charm on the whole class, causing their voices to magnify greatly. Lots of people jumped, others were shaking slightly, and still others were very unsure. Only Harry said it without any waver in his voice, earning fifty points to Gryffindor.

"Now, all together now, nice and loud," Buffy whispered. "One, two, three..."

"VOLDEMORT!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, causing several students to fall backwards. Everyone stood still, as if waiting for someone to come crashing through the walls to kill them all. When no one did, they all looked at Buffy's triumphant 'I told you so' look, and they began to relax. Pretty soon they were all saying it with very little flinching, their legendary Gryffindor bravery shining through.

"Good, good," Buffy said, making their voices normal again. "Now back to the lesson. One person can make a difference. Voldemort, for example, killed hundreds of people. He got himself followers, Death Eaters, each of which carried a high death count too. They destroyed families and took lives. All because one person decided he thought he was all-powerful and people should bow down before him. He got a big head, just like Hitler did during WWII and the evil wizard Grindelwald.

"Most of the horrible things in history happened because one person stepped up and took over. Everyone else was too scared to step up and face the enemy, too scared even to say a name," Buffy said, satisfied when most of the class looked sheepish. "All it takes is one person to step up to the challenge and defend what they believe in. If someone had said no to Hitler at the beginning, and fought him in the correct manner, instead of following blindly, things could have been different. Fear induces paralysis and people become sheep.

"If one person can do that much damage, shouldn't the opposite be true? With enough followers, one person can also make a difference. Individually, people are smart, logical human beings, but all together, they're stupid and scared. They want a leader, someone to show them what to do. That's how the evil is fought. One person steps up and says "No." One person challenges the wizard or the person. If the battle is large enough, that one person takes another person. And another. And another. Until that one person has enough people to win.

"One person can make all the difference," Buffy said, looking straight at Harry as she finished.

The class looked at Professor Fox, absorbing all this information she had presented them with, and they actually felt ashamed for the behavior of past generations. She was right; people were sheep. Before anyone could say another word, the class was over, and they filed out the door, still too lost in thought to speak.

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CHAPTER 29: SNAPE'S OFFICE

The next day Harry, Hermione and Ron were sitting at the table for breakfast. Ron and Hermione were eating while Harry half-heartedly pushed food around his plate. So far, all of his friends' attempts to discover the source of his problem had gone unanswered.

"Harry?" Hermione asked softly, noticing his behavior. "You need to eat something," she said, remembering how Ron had to practically drag him to the Great Hall, seeing as how he didn't eat anything the day before, as he was avoiding meal times.

Harry didn't answer for a minute, but eventually he answered so quietly that Hermione thought she had missed it. "Why?" he asked. "What's the point?"

Hermione was so shocked by his words that she lost her voice for a minute. "Because," she finally sputtered, "if you don't eat, you'll get sick. Eventually you'll die." Hermione desperately wished Harry would tell her what his problem was; she couldn't stand to see her best friend like this.

"Everyone dies eventually," Harry said. "Some sooner than others."

Hermione turned to Ron, trying to get his support, when she realized that they were talking too low for anyone else to hear them. She wasn't about to alert anyone else in the Great Hall about Harry's sudden bout of depressions; who knew what rumors would circulate? "Harry," Hermione asked gently, "why don't we go for a walk before classes start?"

"No thanks," Harry sighed, about to stand up. Anything else he was going to say was lost with the arrival of the morning mail and Ron's sudden exclamation.

"Harry? What's Professor Fox doing with Hedwig?"

"What?" Harry asked, turning to look at the head table, watching in amazement as a snowy owl came and landed next to the DADA professor.

"That's strange," Hermione said quietly.

"That's not Hedwig," Harry said, noticing the truth upon careful examination, or as careful as one could be from several yards away.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked, squinting to try and see the subtle differences that Harry noticed. "She looks like Hedwig to me."

"Yeah, but Hedwig's not your owl; trust me, that's not Hedwig, although it looks remarkably like her."

"It's odd, though, isn't it?" Hermione said. "I mean, how many snowy owls do you see around here? They live mostly in the United States and Canada, as well as Greenland and Iceland."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Ron asked, amazed once again.

"I read, Ron," Hermione said nonchalantly.

"Well, why would you want to know about useless things like where Snowy Owls live? I mean, when will you ever use that information?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ron, "What do you think brought this entire conversation about?"

Ron had nothing to say to that, so he chugged down the rest of his juice.

"Maybe they're related," Harry shrugged, not caring too much anymore. It wasn't important or life threatening; it was just another owl.

"I just think it's a strange coincidence, that's all," Hermione said softly, watching as Harry stood up to leave for his next class. "We need to do something, Ron."

"Mehmph," was all she got in response.

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Buffy was startled by the arrival of Morrigan at her table. She had yet to receive any mail from her friends; there wasn't much use since she stopped by every night. If they weren't exchanging pleasantries that meant something bad must have happened.

Buffy worriedly untied the letter, written on parchment like Buffy showed them so as not to arise suspicion, and read the short message.

It didn't work. We're still missing something.

That was it. No greeting, no name, nothing but the message; it was vague but understandable. If someone else had intercepted the letter, they'd have no idea whom it was to, whom it was from, or what it was about.

Of course, Buffy understood perfectly. Relief wound its way through her body, attacking the tight knot that had formed in her stomach at the thought of harm coming to someone. That feeling didn't last long before disappointment soon followed. She was sure they had it right this time! What else could they be missing?

"Is something wrong?" Dumbledore asked, seeing the professor's frown.

"Um, no, not really. Just some disappointing news from home. Family stuff," Buffy said, hoping he wouldn't question her anymore. And he didn't.

"Is that your owl?" McGonagall asked.

"No, it's my friends," Buffy said. "Why, is something wrong?"

"Oh, no," McGonagall said. "It's just that your owl looks remarkably like Mr. Potter's owl."

Buffy was surprised at this small revelation. "The shopkeeper did say that she had a sister that was bought years ago, maybe that's it."

"Yes, it's a small world, isn't it?"

"You have no idea," Buffy said with a small smile, earning a more thoughtful glance from Dumbledore.

He really had to find out who this woman was.

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Buffy walked determinedly through the empty hallways down towards the dungeons. It was way past curfew for everyone and so she hoped everyone would be asleep this late. Hopefully she'd have plenty of time to sift through all his books and ingredients, trying to find the key ingredient that was missing. She'd borrowed supplies from Snape's cabinets several times before; the school paid for them anyway, it wasn't as if he was loosing money.

Well, maybe not the ingredients in his personal stash, which is what Buffy looked through the most. He stored the more volatile and rare ingredients in his office, which was were she was heading tonight.

Her feet as light as an elves, she crept along towards the door. After performing the complicated counter spells to unlock his office door, Buffy quietly eased it opened and stepped into the pitch-black room. She waited for her eyes to adjust and stepped nimbly through the room, heading for the door in the back of the classroom. She had been through so many times that she really didn't need any light to navigate around the student desks.

Upon reaching the office door, Buffy stopped breathing and just listened for any bit of noise that would alert her to someone's presence. No light could be seen from underneath the door crack, but that didn't mean anything. After about a minute, Buffy continued to breathe quietly and decided that no one was in there. She eased the door open and slipped inside.

She walked carefully over to the locked cabinet in the corner and raised her wand, about to unlock it, when a voice behind her made her stop.

"Drop your wand."

"Damn it," Buffy whispered, frustrated with herself. She should've been able to sense if someone else was in the room. She'd done this so many times before she'd become careless. She didn't bother to drop her wand but did turn around slowly. She knew there was no way out of the room other than the door behind which Snape was standing. She was in trouble now.

"Lumos," Snape said, allowing the light to flood the room and illuminate his thief. "You?!" he cried in amazement.

"You were expecting someone else?" Buffy asked lightly.

"Yes, actually. I thought I had finally caught Potter," he snarled, missing Buffy's raised eyebrow and slight smirk in his frustration. "Although, this might be more interesting, as I'm sure it's grounds for dismissal. Sneaking around at night, stealing from the other Professors. I'm interested in how you get yourself out of this one."

"There's nothing to get myself out of," Buffy said, lowering her wand to her side confidently. "I work for the Ministry of Magic."

"I don't think working for them gives you permission to break the law," Snape said.

"I think you forget that I make the law," Buffy said. "It's a simple enough matter," she continued, seeing Snape about to explode, "You have dangerous and unpredictable potions in here that are not suitable for a school environment and I've slowly been confiscating them."

"And you have to take them one at a time?" Snape sneered.

"Of course. You of all people should know what happens when certain ingredients mix with others."

"Why are you coming in the middle of the night?" Snape asked, not believing her, but finding it difficult to argue with her story; she was working for the Ministry.

"For several reasons. One, I highly doubt that you'd take kindly to my coming in during the middle of a class and undermining your authority in front of all your students. Also, anything could happen and it's best if less people were around, for safety reasons, of course. Merlin forbid I should trip with all those dangerous substances. A possible explosion could happen, stretching who knows how far, destroying the classroom, your office, possibly your sleeping quarters depending upon how close they are."

"Are you threatening me, Miss Fox?" Snape asked incredulously.

"Of course not. Threatening is a waste of time and I'm not very patient. I'm just letting you know the consequences certain actions have."

"I'd be very careful around here Miss Fox," Snape said. "I'm afraid you don't have as much power as you seem to think you have."

"Are you threatening me, Snape?" Buffy asked.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said with a smirk. "I'm just letting you know the facts of the matter so you don't go doing stupid things."

"Thanks, but I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Now, if you would," Buffy said gesturing to the still locked cupboard.

"The items in my office are mine alone and you are not to allowed to confiscate any of them. They are not a part of the students' curriculum and the students are not even allowed anywhere near my office, so you can rest assured they're all safe."

"Why do I find that hard to believe? I mean, you seemed to expect Potter to be here instead of me, so obviously you've had trouble with this before."

Snape scowled at Buffy and couldn't find anything to retort with. "You will not take anything from my supplies until an official from the Magical Law Enforcement comes and says that I've put the students at risk, is that clear?"

Buffy sighed angrily and proceeded to walk towards the door, while Snape stepped aside. "I'd watch out if I were you, professor," Snape said.

"Thank Merlin that's not the case. I think I'd have to kill myself. Besides, I'm smart enough to watch out whose hands are lingering near my goblet."

"I thought you didn't threat," he sneered.

"I don't. I was just stating a fact." Buffy walked out of Snape's office, muttering "Lumos," as she went. The night was ruined and now she might never get a chance to finish the impossible potion.

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"There is no Sarah Fox listed anywhere," Arthur said, completely baffled. "No birth records, no employment records, no medical records, nothing. It's like she doesn't exist. I mean, it's not too difficult to invent a name, but she's working for the ministry and she must have gotten in somehow. I've even checked the ministries in France and the United States upon your request, Dumbledore. No one has a Sarah Fox and no one has seen anyone of her description."

"I've asked around the ministry and nobody has seen her before. The guard said he saw her come in one day, but he said he never saw her before. I even tried to get the information he collected, but he doesn't have any records of her wand or identification. And I'm sure he doesn't forget things like that, especially since it's the only thing he has to do," Kingsley said.

"What's she look like?" Sirius asked from his spot next to Lupin.

"Fairly short, thin, blonde hair, blue eyes," McGonagall said. "She's looks like she can't be more than 25."

"Well where did she come from?" Tonks asked. "She couldn't have just appeared from nowhere."

"Now the real question is what she wants," Moody said, speaking up for the first time.

"Maybe she just wanted a new start. Perhaps something happened to her and she felt that her best choice was to start over," Lupin suggested.

"Even so, you can't work at the ministry unless you have proper qualifications and background checks."

"She's obviously up to something," Snape said. "I caught her sneaking around my office earlier, stealing potion ingredients."

"Really?" Dumbledore asked, surprised.

"So now will you finally get off Harry's case?" Sirius asked. "You've got proof he didn't do it."

"I'm still sure Potter's guilty. Professor Fox wasn't around in his second or fourth year, was she?"

"What'd she take? Anything that could give us a clue as to what she's putting together?" Moody asked.

"She's taken random things, nothing that could be combined together because of the dangerous repercussions. If I had to guess, I'd say she's trying to make something from memory, or just trying to invent something on her own."

"What would she want that badly?" Lupin asked.

"So, are you suggesting she's just using her place at Hogwarts in order to steal potion ingredients from your stock," McGonagall said.

"I'm sure that's only part of the reason," Snape sneered. "It isn't impossible to get what I have from other stores."

"I'm sure you've gone down Knockturn Alley more than a few times," Sirius said. "It suits your personality perfectly. Dark and slimy."

"Enough," Dumbledore said, stopping anything that was about to be said. "We still don't know what her true purpose is, whether good or bad, but for the safety of the students, we must assume it is bad."

"She did threaten me," Snape said in agreement. "Although she'll never admit to it."

"What? She threatened you? Where is she? I'm gonna give her a kiss; I like her already," Sirius said.

"For now we'll have to watch her movements a little more carefully. She is still under Fudge's care, so we must not do anything to attract more attention to ourselves."

"Now, here's an interesting thought. Is Fudge protecting her by choice, or by force?" Moody said, speaking up.

"I'd say choice," Snape said. "Umbridge is following Fudge as well but Umbridge despises the girl."

"She keeps rising on my list," Sirius said. "She's threatening Snape and hates Umbridge. I don't really see a problem."

"You will when she kills Potter," Snape said, "which it seems is probably her ultimate goal. All the DADA professors save one seemed to have it in for the boy. And I can't really blame them."

"Harry has proven time and time again that he is more than capable of defending himself. I'm sure he'll be fine, but it wouldn't hurt to find out more about this Sarah Fox person," Lupin said.

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A couple of days later Harry still wasn't eating and it didn't look like he was sleeping, either. "Harry, please tell us what's wrong," a very worried Hermione said.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," he said.

"You're not fine, mate," Ron said. "We're worried about you."

"I'll be okay. I just need to figure some things out, that's all," Harry said. "It might take me awhile, but I'll get there eventually."

"If you just tell us, we can help you," Hermione said.

"No. No one can help me. I need to do this myself. I'm sorry."

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Up at the head table, everyone was eating their breakfast happily. Buffy had felt the extra set of eyes following her around everywhere since her little meeting with Snape. It was really unnerving, but now she knew they were watching her. She had to be extra careful now.

This morning was her chance to finally get what she needed. Snape would be otherwise occupied while she stepped into his office. She had studied several different books and detailed descriptions of different potion ingredients and she had a sudden insight on what she could use. It was a little risky, but it might work.

Buffy finished eating and drank the rest of her juice before standing up.

"Finished already?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I left something in my room and I don't want to be late," Buffy said. She really hated to leave, but she needed to go now while Snape was still eating.

Snape hadn't touched his food or drink an entire day after Buffy had 'warned' him. Now he just kept close watch over his plate and goblet, realizing that the house elves prepared the food, not the professors.

Little did he know Buffy had gone down to the kitchens early that morning and asked a curiously dressed house elf, possibly Dopey, to add a little 'herbs' to freshen his meal. Needless to say, the overenthusiastic elf was more than happy to oblige.

Buffy walked out of the hall but waited right behind the doors for a couple of seconds. She was wasting precious time but she had to see this. James would've been proud.

Right on time, gasps and a couple of screams could be heard coming from the students and professors. Buffy gave a quick glance into the hall before stifling her laughter and continuing on her way.

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Hermione and Ron had been very quiet as they watched their friend try to keep them away from something. They had been friends for almost five years now and there had been very few secrets between them. Hermione and Ron just didn't know what to do. Obviously it had to be something really bad, since he wouldn't tell them. Or maybe it was about them and Harry wanted to protect them.

Harry didn't know if he wanted to tell his friends at all. He always knew that Voldemort wouldn't stop until he was dead, but it never really clicked just how bad it could be. It was officially up to him to . . kill . . Voldemort. He didn't know how his friends would react and he didn't want their pity or their rejection. He didn't know if he wanted them to stay by him, either. He didn't want them to get hurt. They'd been lucky so far but now that Voldemort was back, more people were going to die and Harry didn't know what he'd do without Ron or Hermione.

He still couldn't get over the part of the prophecy that said he had to kill or be killed. 'Just like the Vampire Slayers,' Harry thought. Maybe he was like one of them. He was just a person that had to fight the good fight.

Harry was startled out of his thoughts by the gasps and screams that erupted from various students. Harry tensed as he, Ron and Hermione looked around for the danger. It couldn't be now, could it? He wasn't ready.

A look of disbelief passed over his face quickly as he saw it wasn't an attack on the school. It was Snape. He was inflating. Just like his Aunt Marge did one time. "I didn't do it," Harry said quickly as laughter soon began to take over.

Hermione and Ron turned to Harry. "Feeling guilty, mate?" Ron asked with a smile.

"No, it's just that I accidentally blew up my aunt once, remember? But, I didn't do it this time," Harry said.

They watched in amusement as Snape's very poofy body caused him to float up over the table, but amazingly enough, stayed down near the ground. It was almost as if someone was teasing him because he couldn't stop. His arms and legs were sticking straight out like plump sausages and he was floating just high enough off the ground so he couldn't touch it. Actually, every once and a while, he'd come in contact with the ground, but as soon as he did, he was bounced up higher again.

If that wasn't bad enough, it seemed his face had stretched into a permanent smile. It was rather eerie, especially when he began flashing different colors. Red. Then Blue. Then Yellow. Then Green. Then Purple. Pink. White. Brown. Neon Green. Somehow, the candles and torches in the Great Hall all extinguished, leaving the glowing Snape as the only light.

"Brilliant!" Fred shouted.

"I wish I'd thought of that!" George yelled.

"Think whoever did that will let us use it?" Fred asked.

"You didn't do it?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"Unfortunately, no!"

"Wish I had!"

"If you didn't, who did?" Harry asked. No one had an answer to that.

The entire student body, Slytherins included, was laughing so hard, tears were coming down their eyes. Someone had gotten enough courage up and decided to hit the floating 'balloon' and it wasn't long before others joined in.

Of course, this didn't last long as Dumbledore commanded everyone's attention. Every spell he and the other Professors tried had failed. It seemed that every spell gave it more and more energy.

"To your classes!" Dumbledore commanded. Everyone got up and left, some heading to their dormitories before classes, which didn't start for fifteen more minutes.

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Harry, Ron and Hermione left the Great Hall but didn't go back to the common room.

"I'm never going to forget that, as long as I live," Ron said. He could still hear the professors trying to help Snape and their unfortunate failures. "That was even better than Malfoy's ferret last year. I can now die happy."

"Well, that's good, because we have Potions first," Hermione said bitterly. That stopped Ron's laughter.

"What? He's going to be in a horrible mood!"

"And it's double potions," Harry groaned, his good mood effectively diminished.

"We're doomed," Ron moaned. "There's no hope. Say your goodbyes now."

"We might as well get there early. We don't want to give him reasons to take off points; he comes up with ways all by himself," Hermione said. The three friends lapsed into depressed silence for a while on their way to the dungeons.

Until Ron burst out laughing again, causing the three friends to relive the great moment. As soon as they calmed down enough, they entered the potions classroom, only to see Professor Fox exiting and locking Snape's office door.

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Buffy was so immersed in the complicated spell procedure (he'd redone all the spells since she last been there) that she didn't hear the trio enter the room behind her. Needless to say, she was quite startled when she turned around; she almost dropped the important ingredient she took from his office.

"Merlin's beard!" Buffy yelped. "You scared me. How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," Hermione said with narrowed eyes.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Buffy asked, confused. "Class doesn't start for another ten minutes."

"We could ask you the same question," Harry said, looking pointedly at the bottle in her hand.

"I had to get something from Snape's office," Buffy said, holding up the bottle, hoping they wouldn't see what it was.

"What for?" Hermione asked.

"I wanted to find some shampoo," Buffy deadpanned. "Obviously I wanted to make a potion."

"Why don't you get Snape to make it? He's a potions master," Hermione said.

"He doesn't have time to be making all the little potions I want. Just like you don't have to have him make all of yours."

"Yes, but the potions I want to make don't include ingredients from his locked cupboard in his locked office," Hermione said.

"Most of the time, anyway," Buffy said, looking at Hermione with a raised eyebrow. When she saw Hermione's shocked face, she knew she'd been right. "I mean, how could you know he keeps a locked cupboard of special ingredients in his locked office? Unless you've been there yourself."

Hermione didn't have anything to say at that, but a bit of a blush crept up her cheeks at having been caught.

"Let's make a deal. I won't tell if you won't," Buffy said, walking towards them to leave before other students came.

"What do you need Nightshade for anyway?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"I don't see how it's any of your business," Buffy said.

"It is my business if you're stealing from Professor Snape in order to slip Nightshade into someone's drink," Hermione said.

"I wouldn't slip anything into anyone's drink," Buffy said seriously. "I'd make it into a powder and have the house-elves put it in their food," she said with a wink, causing all three jaws to drop.

"You did that?" Ron asked with wide eyes.

"Did what?" Buffy asked innocently. "See you in class," she called out before she left.

"It does make sense," Hermione said after recovering from her shock. "She set up a diversion so neither Snape nor the students would come into his classroom, giving her enough time to steal the Nightshade."

"The question is, should we tell anyone?" Harry asked.

"Are you kidding?" Ron asked. "She's my hero! That was the greatest prank of all times! It was better than anything Fred and George have come up with and I'll be willing to bet it's better than anything your dad came up with."

"Yes, but she took Nightshade, Ron," Harry said, being the voice of reason. "Who knows what she's going to do with that? I mean, if she could blow up Snape just to take an ingredient, who knows what she's capable of."

"I don't know," Hermione said, surprising Harry and Ron. "There are tons of uses for Nightshade besides poisoning someone. I'm sure she won't use it for something awful."

"You just don't want her to tell on you for stealing the ingredients for the Polyjuice potion, do you?" Harry asked with a smile, knowing he was right when a blush came over her features once again.

"Hermione! That was in second year! I don't think you'll get in trouble," Ron said.

"You never know," Hermione said stubbornly. "I just don't think it'd be smart to go around and volunteer information like that." Hermione walked over and sat down at her desk, opening up her potions book and studying a page on the uses of Nightshade.

Harry and Ron just looked at each other and sighed. "Don't come running to Harry when someone collapses at lunch," Ron said before joining Harry at a different table.

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CHAPTER 30: ANOTHER DEFENSE LESSON

Harry, Hermione and Ron dragged themselves through the DADA classroom door, drained after a boring double potions lesson with Umbridge. Snape had failed to show, so Umbridge decided it was her duty as High Inquisitor to make things run smoothly. Needless to say, there was no potion making; only lots and lots of theory reading and note taking. Not to mention plenty of accusations and taunts that came from Umbridge aimed at Harry. Everyone was amazed at Harry's reaction, or lack thereof. He was surprisingly cool and ignored most of what she was saying; clearly different than his attitude from the beginning of the year.

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this," Ron said, "but I want Snape back."

"If it was any other day, I would too," Hermione said. "However, I doubt he'd be better than Umbridge considering the events that occurred not too long ago."

"She's got a point," Harry said. "I'm glad we didn't have to deal with Snape after what Professor Fox did. I can't even begin to imagine how mad he'd be. Or is."

"Right," Ron said, shuddering slightly. By that time, everyone had filed into the classroom and was seating at their desks. Professor Fox came in, closed the door and preformed the spells as if they were second nature to her, which by now they probably were.

"Okay, today we'll continue our discussion of The Slayer," Buffy said.

"What else is there to say?" Seamus asked. "Even if the slayer was real there's not much known about them."

"You forget that I work for the Ministry and have more information than some people might believe," Buffy said with a smile.

"My dad works for the Ministry and he's never said anything about slayers," Ron said. "And he's someone that is very interested in muggles."

"Well, maybe he just didn't want to tell you," Buffy said. "Or maybe he didn't know anything. The point is, I know. The Slayer is real." Gasps were heard around the room.

"The thing is, there is only one Slayer at a time, making it difficult to ascertain whether or not she is real. However, the Ministry is aware of the status of the Slayer but they keep it under wraps so as not to drawn unneeded attention to her. Think of what could happen if some witch or wizard decided they were better than the Slayer and set out to kill her? More than likely, one of them would end up dead. That's why only a few people know the Slayer is actually real; the myth was created to throw people off."

"Then why tell us the truth?" Hermione asked. "I mean, one of us could think they could defeat the famous Slayer and go after her."

"It'd be a little more difficult now," Buffy said with a smile. "Recently, information has become available that perhaps there is more than one Slayer."

"I don't understand," Hermione said. "How is that possible?"

"A very powerful wicca," Buffy said. "It's probable that she somehow unlocked the power of the Slayer and activated all the Potential Slayers out there, creating hundreds of new Slayers."

"But the power," Hermione said with wide eyes, "that person had to have incredible power to override something like that. What would she gain by doing that?"

"Our information is still incomplete," Buffy said with a shrug. "I'm sure there was a good reason."

"She could be building an army of Slayers!" Hermione said.

"It's possible," Buffy said with a raised eyebrow.

"Think of the damage she could do!"

"Or the good," Buffy said, frowning.

"Hmph," Hermione said.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"It's been my experience that people with that much power are easily corrupted and hardly ever use their power for the good of others. Power like that is only used to benefit the user."

"What do you think Slayers do?" Buffy asked. "They have plenty of power, but they use it to help humanity, save the world, avert apocalypses. I hardly think they appreciate people thinking that they use their power for their own benefit."

"Oh please," Parvati said. "Anybody with the amount of power you say they have would surely help themselves. It's human nature."

"Obviously you people have been hanging around the wrong people," Buffy said. "You don't understand a thing."

"Well, everyone in a point of power has abused his or her power," Hermione said. "Take Voldemort for example."

"What about Dumbledore?" Buffy retorted. "He has more power than Voldemort does and he is hardly a selfish person."

"There are always exceptions," Lavender said, speaking up.

"You really think that powerful people are that selfish?" Buffy asked incredulously.

"For the most part, yes," Ron said. "We've seen it happen all the time, to most of our Defense professors, in fact."

"Well, we're just going to have to clear up all your confusion. Let's take the Vampire Slayer for an example. Does anyone know at what age she is usually called?"

No one raised his or her hand and everyone looked puzzled.

"Around fourteen," Buffy said. "Possibly earlier, although hardly ever after eighteen.

"I should start at the beginning. A Slayer has a Watcher that guides her, trains her and prepares her to face whatever she has to. For the most part, potential slayers are found by the Council, which is basically a group of Watchers, when she is very young. She is taken away from her family and friends and raised alone, trained to be a fighter. Some potential slayers are not found and others go unnoticed until they become a Slayer."

"Imagine that for a moment; an isolated life where you're trained to fight the evil things that lurk in the shadows; the things you were afraid of as a kid. No family, no friends. Just a watcher, who shouldn't be overly emotional to her, as some idiots believe relationships conflict with work and productivity."

"I think it makes some sense," Hermione said thoughtfully. "I mean, if a Slayer had friends and family, wouldn't she always worry about their safety instead of her own?" She cast a furtive glance at Harry, which went unnoticed by everyone but Buffy.

"To some degree, yes. I think that it'd be hard to fight for your life if you're too worried about others to concentrate on the task at hand. However, if you were a Slayer, wouldn't you like someone to go home to? Someone to make you laugh when you're ten seconds from sobbing?

"Wouldn't it be difficult to care what happens to the world if you don't have anybody to anchor you to it? I mean, I don't really understand how most of the girls stayed sane. Slayers go out just about every night in order to fight the forces of darkness--"

"I've never seen any demons or monsters," Dean interrupted. "How many could there be?"

Before Buffy could answer, the door suddenly exploded, scaring everyone within the room. As someone stalked into the room, Buffy jumped up off the desk and brought out her wand, preparing herself for whatever was coming. Unfortunately the unexpected explosion disoriented her long enough for someone to grab hold of her robes and push her against the wall, causing her head to smack hard and her vision to blur.

"I know it was you," someone snarled. "And I'll make sure you pay for what you did."

All the students were frozen in their desks at the sight of their potions professor assaulting their defense professor. No one could believe what was happening and no one had a clue as to what to do.

"Snape," Buffy said, her vision clearing slightly. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'd appreciate it if you let go of me."

"Did you really think I'm that stupid?" he hissed.

"You're the one that blew up, not me," Buffy said.

"A bottle of Nightshade is missing from my supplies. I know you took it and I know you poisoned me to get access."

"Poisoned you? Hardly. It was probably something you ate. Allergic reactions can be such a pain," Buffy said, her face still inches from his. Their conversation wasn't that quiet, so naturally the classroom was hanging onto every word that was being said. "Besides, I wasn't even sitting near you at breakfast this morning. And I wasn't even around when it happened."

"Then how do you know what happened?" Snape said, smirking victoriously as he thought he'd caught her in her own lie.

"It's not everyday that a hated professor gets blown up and tossed about the room like a beach ball," Buffy said. "News travels fast in a small school like this."

The smirk promptly fell off of Snape's face and it was replaced with a scowl. "I will not be made a fool of in my own school!"

"Too late," Buffy said.

Snape growled and shoved her against the wall again. "I will get you for this. I know you're not Sarah Fox, as no person exists," he whispered so the students couldn't hear, not that he was actually aware of the students. "We'll find out who you really are and you'll pay."

"I said... Let... Go." Buffy said, waving her wand and causing him to fly across the room and crash into several students' desks. A couple of people screamed and people scrambled to get away from the fight that was occurring. Buffy nonchalantly stepped away from the wall and straightened her robes and her hair as Snape rose from the wreckage.

"Serpensortia," Snape said, pointing his wand at Buffy and watching as a snake shot out from his wand and hissed angrily.

Buffy rolled her eyes at Snape. "That's the best you can do? Conjure up a snake? Scary." Buffy waved her wand and the snake, which was in the middle of attacking, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Furnunculus," Snape said.

"Protego," Buffy said in a bored voice. "This is beyond pathetic," she said. "Resorting to charms that the students use in the halls?"

"Expelliarmus," Snape said, sure that he'd get her wand. Buffy didn't even try to dodge the spell and was hit square on in the chest. Instead of watching her fly back into the wall and catching her wand in his hand like he'd thought, she merely took a couple of steps back to recover from the blow. Amazingly enough, the wand stayed firmly in her hand.

"A little weak, don't you think?"

Snape scowled and said, "You will not last another day in this school. You'd wish you'd never set foot in this castle."

"Not very original is it?" Buffy said. "Now please leave my class before I make you."

Snape didn't say anything, but he raised his wand at her again. Before any words could escape from his mouth, Buffy flicked her wand with a bored sigh and sent him flying out of the room only to slam into the hall wall opposite the door. Snape slipped into unconsciousness as Buffy repaired the door and slammed it with a loud "BANG!" startling all the students again.

'So much more satisfying to hit them,' Buffy thought as she turned back to her class. "So," she said. "Where were we?"

"You... you just... you," Hermione stuttered looking amazingly at the door where Professor Snape had flown through moments before.

"Kicked Snape out of my class?" Buffy finished. "Yes. I did. How am I supposed to teach when I have lunatics coming in and attacking me? Not very professional is it?"

"But..." Hermione started again, while everyone else was still staring in awe.

"Hey, he attacked me. I didn't do anything to provoke him; everyone here is a witness."

"And we'll make sure everyone knows that," Seamus said.

"You're my hero," Ron sighted happily.

"Right," Buffy said with a tight smile. "I'd actually appreciate it more if you didn't say anything. So, everyone get settled and we'll continue with our lesson." Buffy quickly repaired the broken desks and was amazed that none of the students were hurt during Snape's spectacular fall.

"Anyway, you don't really know much about real evil creatures. You live in a school run by Albus Dumbledore for most of the year. Do you really think he'd let anything come near you guys? Besides Snape, I mean?" she said, earning a small laugh to come from the students. "The Forbidden Forest is about the closest anything can get. Even then, there's hardly anything really bad in there."

"There's giant spiders!" Ron said.

"You think giant spiders are really bad?" Buffy asked with wide eyes. "For a wizarding class, you don't really know much."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"You guys are aware that things aren't what they seem. You know that there's magic and that vampires are real. You know that some monsters and creatures in muggle fairy tales are real.

"But you don't really know what's out there. There are demons that you'd never even thought of. There are hundreds of books filled with information about different species of demons, prophecies and other things that go bump in the night. I know; I've seen some. Most people, mainly muggles, when they see something they can't really explain, they ignore it. Pretend it didn't happen. Or worse, rationalize it as best they can. 'I was really drunk that night; it was just a trick of the light.' If you're going to defend yourself, you have to know how much is real.

"Not much is known about Slayers, but I imagine that most of their lives are spent trying to save the world from evil. Slayers are typically around your age, so what would you do if you were approached by a strange man and told that it's your destiny to save the world? Never mind the fact that you'll die before you can really enjoy life; the average life span of a Slayer is only a couple of years.

"I hardly think that giving ones life to save another's is selfish," Buffy said to the mass of amazed kids. "But maybe that's just me. Or maybe I just know a little more than you do, seeing as how I've lived in the real world and not some safe boarding school, for several years now. It is true that power corrupts, but not everyone succumbs to that power. I'd hate to see what the world would be like if that was the case. I'd seriously doubt there'd be a world at all."

Their serious discussion about Vampire Slayers was interrupted by the ending of class and people were reluctant to leave. One person, however, had to stay behind.

"Harry, could you stay after a moment please?" Buffy asked.

"But, we have class," Hermione protested. Even though she didn't like Snape, she didn't trust Buffy at all anymore. She attacked Professor Snape! He was one of the good guys (for the most part) and she threw him out of the classroom (never mind that he attacked her first).

"He can come after," Buffy said, looking at Hermione curiously.

"But... it's Care of the Magical Creatures and Hagrid said we were going into the Forest."

"Well, I'll walk him. Now get to class and let Hagrid know we'll follow later, okay?" Buffy said.

Hermione couldn't really answer, so Ron pulled her arm away and led her out the door. "Let's go, Hermione."

"So, what's up?" Buffy asked Harry after the last student had left and she had closed the door again.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked cautiously.

"You've been very broody all class. You haven't said a word and you're normally very... vocal around Snape."

"Sorry, I've got a lot on my mind," Harry said.

"So I can see. Do you want to talk about it?" Buffy asked gently.

Harry gazed at her for a long moment, tempted to tell her the entire story. He barely even knew her and yet he wanted to spill his guts. That stopped him from telling her anything, deciding that she could use the information against him somehow. How was he to trust her if he didn't know which side she was on? Sure she stopped Umbridge from giving him a lifetime ban from Quidditch, but she also said something about 'plans' that she had for him.

"No. Not really."

Buffy looked at Harry, recognizing the all too familiar look in his eyes: the one that told of burden and pain, sacrifice and suffering. It was obvious to Buffy what the problem was, despite Harry's reluctance. Apparently he just began to understand the importance of his own role in the fight against Voldemort. Buffy could only guess as to what was really going on, but she assumed that the responsibility of Voldemort's downfall fell on his shoulders. It made sense to her and she was surprised that the rest of the world didn't think along the same lines. But maybe they did.

"Vampire Slayers never asked for what they had been given," Buffy said. "If they had had a choice, if they really knew what it would be like, I'm going to say that most of them would've said no. Vampire Slayers are just ordinary girls that happened to be graced with strength, skill, and speed needed to stop the forces of darkness. I doubt very much that if you asked a random girl on the street to trade her life for that power, she would've said no. It's not worth it.

"But they accepted it; there wasn't anything else they could do. They embraced their destiny, however sucky it might be, and trained themselves to be better. If they were going to go down, they'd go down fighting, taking as many demons as they could with them. If they let their minds worry too much about the things that couldn't be changed, then they were more likely to be killed. You have to embrace the time you have and spend it happily among friends and family. Prepare yourself for what's coming, but don't lose sight of what you're fighting for. People fight for peace. For love. For life. For hope.

"There isn't much known about Vampire Slayers, but one Slayer changed history a bit, made her more noticeable. Do you know what she did?" Buffy asked.

Harry shook his head curiously. What she was saying was making a lot of sense and it was clearing up a lot of the thoughts that had been running wild in his head ever since Dumbledore told him the prophecy.

"She died. I know, it may seem unspectacular because all Slayers die, but this Slayer was different. Several years ago there was a prophecy saying that she would face the Master, a big powerful Vampire, and she would die. The Master would be loose and hell would reign upon Earth. Bad things. Anyway, she tried to quit being a Slayer, as she didn't want to die. However, she found that it was her duty to face the Master because if she didn't the world would end and everyone she knew and loved, and everyone she didn't, would be killed and tortured.

"She went and faced the Master knowing she'd die?" Harry asked in awe.

"Yep. And the prophecy was right. The Master killed her."

"But why would she do that?" he asked. "Why would she go knowing that she would die?"

"I told you, she realized it was her destiny. She figured maybe she could take him down with her, but she didn't have much luck at the time. She didn't want to send anyone else to do her job. It was her fight and she'd be damned if anyone else was hurt because she was afraid."

"It was prophesized," Harry said. "How would she be able to defeat him if she was dead?"

"Prophecies are very tricky things, Harry," Buffy said. "You see, it said that she would face the Master and that she would die; however, it failed to mention that the Master needed her blood to rise. If she hadn't gone down there, he wouldn't have been freed."

"So, how come the Master isn't loose around now? How come the world hasn't ended?"

"Because she came back to life," Buffy said.

"But the prophecy..." Harry started to say.

"The prophecy was fulfilled," Buffy interrupted. "She faced the Master and he killed her. It never said anything about her staying dead."

"But, how could she be brought back to life. I thought Slayers couldn't be witches," Harry protested.

"I never said she was. The story is a little less clear from this point, but I believe she had drowned. Someone came by and gave her CPR, saving her life and enabling her to live again so she could defeat the Master," Buffy said. "That's why there's no Hell on Earth."

"She went back and faced the Master after he'd killed her?" Harry asked.

"She let the prophecy control her thoughts and actions when she first faced him," Buffy said. "She knew it was written, so she believed there was nothing she could do to change it. After she died, thereby fulfilling the prophecy, she was back to her old self and fought with a vengeance, knowing what was at stake. You can't let something like a prophecy or someone's words control your life; things like that are vague and misleading. Have you ever heard of the term self-fulfilling prophecy?" Buffy asked, remembering her psychology class in college.

Harry shook his head and listened raptly while Buffy continued on.

"Basically, if a person thinks something is true, then their behavior and thoughts will be created to fulfill that statement. For example, if you go to a party thinking it's going to be boring, you're not going to socialize much, your attitude will ruin your mood and the party will turn out awful. If you expect the party to be good, you'll be more crazy and carefree, you'll smile more and people will want to be around you. You'll have fun. Do you understand?"

"I think so. If I... if someone believed that they'd die just because it was written somewhere, chances are they'll die, not because it was written, but because they believed it," Harry said thoughtfully.

"Exactly. I mean, who knows what we could do if no one knew anything. That's why seeing the future is so dangerous. We tend to believe everything and act a certain way to make it come true."

"Thanks," Harry said gratefully.

"Anytime. Now, let's get you to class, shall we?" Buffy asked. 


	8. Chapters 31 to 36

CHAPTER 31: THESTRALS 

Buffy led Harry away from the school and towards the Forbidden Forest; they weren't that late, but the class had already left. The walk was silent as each was lost in his or her own thoughts. Harry was repeatedly going over everything Professor Fox had told him and using the information to help his own situation.

Buffy was thinking more of what Snape had said when he interrupted the class. "I know you're not Sarah Fox, as no person exists." 'How did he find out? How does he have the power to find that out? He's only a Potion's professor,' Buffy thought worriedly. "We'll find out who you really are and you'll pay." Obviously someone else was involved with the search, but who could it be? Umbridge? No, she wouldn't work with Snape. But who would? The only person that seems civil around him, has a lot of power is... Buffy stopped abruptly, her eyes widening slightly in realization.

"Dumbledore," Buffy whispered. He was looking her up and keeping an eye on her. She'd have to be more careful in the future. "... and you'll pay." Fortunately, they hadn't found out why she was really here or who she really was, so she still had some time. Just not a whole lot.

"What'd you say?" Harry asked as he turned back to look at his professor.

"Um, I just asked if you were ready," Buffy said, gesturing towards the woods in front of them.

"Yeah," Harry said. "I've been in here a couple of times. It's not too bad."

"Right," Buffy said. "We should get going, then. We don't want you to be too late."

"Er, how will we know where they are?" Harry asked. "The forest is pretty big."

"I'm sure we'll find them somehow," Buffy said with a smile. "Just stay close to me and don't do anything stupid." Buffy began walking when a burst of green light shot out from the treetops.

"I'll bet that's Hermione," Harry smiled. "Of course she'd remember that we had no idea where we were going."

"She reminds me a lot of my friend," Buffy said. "Except that Willow has red hair and Hermione has brown. Well, it doesn't look too far, so let's get going." The two carefully made their way towards the spot where the light seemed to be coming from. Buffy's 'spider sense' was going crazy in the dark forest and Buffy knew that there were plenty of things in here to keep her occupied for months; however, not all of them were bad. Fairly soon, Buffy heard the noise of people walking through the forest.

"Gather roun', gather roun'," a deep familiar voice called out encouragingly. "Now, they'll be attracted by the smell o' the meat but I'm goin' ter give 'em a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me..."

"Um, Hagrid," Hermione interrupted quietly. "What meat?"

Hagrid looked around worriedly and glanced at himself to make sure he wasn't carrying anything. "Oh, blimey!" he said. "I forgot the meat!"

"So they're not gonna come?" Malfoy asked hopefully.

"I don't rightly know," Hagrid said. "I think they will. Jus' have tah call 'em."

"What's he calling?" Harry asked quietly as they got even closer to the group.

"I don't know," Buffy said. "But why do I get the feeling it's not something good?"

"Because it's Hagrid." Harry paused, seeming to realize what he said to the ministry official that could get Hagrid sacked. "I mean, he likes to show us the more unusual creatures, to prepare us for whatever comes."

"Uh huh," Buffy said with a raised eyebrow.

"He's a really great professor, even though his methods are a little strange," Harry practically pleaded.

"I'm not going to tell Umbridge if you don't," Buffy said reassuringly.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief and then joined his friends. "Thanks for that spell, Hermione. I don't know how we'd have made it without it."

" 'Arry!" Hagrid cried, interrupting whatever Hermione would have said. "Yeh made it!"

"So, what're we waiting for?" Harry asked, giving his friends an 'ask later' look to stop any questions.

"You'll see. Don' want to ruin the surprise!" Hagrid said before turning to Buffy. "Thanks for bringin' him down. It's not safe in these woods."

"No big," Buffy said nonchalantly.

"An who might you be?" Hagrid asked when he realized he didn't know the woman.

"I'm Sarah Fox. I'm the Defense professor," Buffy said, extending a hand.

"O' course," Hagrid said. "Rubeus Hagrid."

"Nice to meet you," Buffy said, watching in amusement as her small hand was engulfed by his overly large one.

"Hav' we met before? Yeh look awfully familiar."

"I doubt it," Buffy said, her smile becoming more forced. She had always liked Hagrid and had come to visit him several times during her stay at Hogwarts and was secretly glad that he might still remember her. "So, you're a professor now? How do you like it?"

"I love it. And I've got Dumbledore to thank for it. Good man, he is," Hagrid said. "Would yeh like to stay for the lesson? It's a special one."

Buffy looked around as her senses went even crazier. Something was coming. When she looked back to Hagrid, she caught a familiar blonde's eyes. Buffy gave a little smile while Draco scowled and looked away. "Sure, I'd love to. I don't have a lesson at the moment."

"Great! I jus' hav' ta call them."

"I think they're coming anyway," Buffy said quietly as Hagrid shook his shaggy head to get the hair out of his face and gave an odd, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees like the call of some monstrous bird. Nobody laughed; most of them looked too scared to make a sound, although some were slightly calmer now that their defense professor was there as well.

Hagrid gave the shrieking cry again. Half a minute passed in which the class continued to peer nervously over their shoulders and around trees for a first glimpse of the things that were coming. Buffy looked around her; her eyes better in the darkness than anyone else. She could feel the things coming. There were a lot of them, whatever it was. There was movement on her left and Buffy turned to watch a horse like creature thing walking briskly through the trees.

Harry nudged Ron and pointed into the black space between two gnarled yet trees. A pair of blank, white, shining eyes were growing larger through the gloom and a moment later the dragonish face, neck, and then skeletal body of a great, black, winged horse emerged from the darkness. It surveyed the class for a few seconds, swishing its long black tail, before its gaze became locked on Buffy.

A great wave of relief broke over Harry. Here at last was proof that he had not imagined these creatures, that they were real: Hagrid knew about them too. He looked eagerly at Ron, but Ron was still staring around into the trees and after a few seconds, he whispered, "Why doesn't Hagrid call again?"

Most of the rest of the class were wearing expressins as confused and nervously expectant as Ron's and were still gazing everywhere but at the horse standing feet from them. There were only two other people who seemed to be able to see them: a stringy Slythering boy standing just behind Goyle and Neville.

"Oh, an' here comes another one!" said Hagrid proudly, as a second black horse appeared out of the dark trees, folded its leather wings closer to its body and surveyed the class, once again, stopping on Buffy. "Now... put yer hands up, who can see 'em?"

Immensely pleased to feel that he was at last going to understand the mystery of these horses, Harry raised his hand. Hagrid nodded at him.

"Yeah... yeah, I knew you'd be able ter, Harry," he said seriously, "An' you too, Neville, eh? An'.. Professor Fox?" Hagrid asked, surprised.

Buffy's hand had slowly risen into the air, so as not to startle the two horse things that had been staring at her for quite some time now. It was as if they were sizing her up or studying her.

"Excuse me," said Malfoy in a sneering voice, "but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?"

"Thestrals," said Hagrid and Hermione gave a soft "oh!" of comprehension at Harry's shoulder. "Hogwarts has got a whole herd of 'em in here. Now, who knows-"

"But they're really, really unlucky!" interrupted Parvati, looking alarmed. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once--"

"No, no, no," said Hagrid, chuckling. "tha's jus' superstition, that is, they aren' unlucky, they're dead clever an' useful! 'Course, this lot don' get a lot o' work, it's mainly jus' pullin' the school carriages unless Dumbleodre's takin' a long journey an' don' want ter Apparate- an' here's another couple, look--"

Two more horses came quietly out of the trees, one of them passing very close to Parvati, who shivered and pressed herself closer to the tree, saying, "I think I felt something, I think it's near me!"

"Don' worry, it won' hurt yeh," said Hagrid patiently. Both the two new thestrals peered around and stared right at Buffy like the first two had, and the strange thing was, none of them had moved yet. "Righ' now, who can tell me why some o' you can see them an' some can't?"

Hermione raised her hand to answer. "The only people who can see thestrals," she said, "are people who have seen death."

"That's exactly right," said Hagrid solemnly. Three more thestrals had come trotting up behind Hagrid as he was talking. They too, stopped and stared out at the class, their gazes falling on Buffy.

Harry had finally noticed the strange behavior of the horses and it seemed that Neville had too. "Um, Hagrid?" Neville asked quietly so as not to frighten them. "What are they doing?"

Hagrid took his attention away from Umbridge, who had happened to show up while he was congratulating Hermione on her correct response. "Wha' do ya mean?"

"They're just standing there and staring," Neville said. "Shouldn't they be moving around?"

Hagrid finally took notice of the seven horses that had stopped and were staring at the blonde professor. "Oh, erm, I don' know."

"Professor Fox? What are you doing here?" Umbridge asked, shocked as she looked up from scribbling things on her clipboard.

"I came to drop off Harry and Hagrid invited me to stay for the lesson," Buffy said with clenched teeth as she continued to stare at the thestrals that were now surrounding her.

"Are you aware," Umbridge said loudly, "that the Ministry of Magic has classified thestrals as 'dangerous'? And with good reason, I believe," Umbridge said, looking pointedly at the situation professor Fox was in.

"Thestrals aren' dangerous! All righ', they might take a bite outta you if yeh really annoy them--"

"Shows... signs... of... pleasure... at... idea... of... violence," muttered Umbridge, scribbling on her clipboard again. "It would probably be best you don't annoy them," Umbridge said to Buffy, "It would be awful if something bad were to happen to you."

"I'll try my best," Buffy grit out, "but I have this bad habit of annoying big, monstrous, ugly beasts, as I'm sure you can attest to."

Hermione's eyes widened at the obvious insult in front of so many other students, while a couple others snickered.

"Uh, Professor, it migh' be best if you didn' move or talk too much," Hagrid advised as a couple of them shifted.

"Why are they going after her?" Parvati asked.

"I don' know," Hagrid said with a confused look on his face. "Yer not wearin' anythin' are you?"

"Oh, darn," Buffy said. "I knew I shouldn't have used Essence of Meat this morning. If only I'd known I'd be walking around with flesh eating horse things."

"Are you going to do something?" Neville asked, frightened for his favorite professor.

Before Hagrid could say anything else, more of the horses began to move, causing everyone in the area to hold their breaths. With a snort, one horse trotted up to Buffy, who stood tense but still, and began to do something no one would ever believe. It nuzzled her! Buffy was in shock; she had been prepared to fight the beast off, when it just harmlessly rubbed its head and neck on her cheek.

"Well, look at tha'!" Hagrid exclaimed happily. "It likes you!"

"Yay," Buffy said as a second one soon followed. And then the third. And the fourth. Soon all seven thestrals were fighting for her attention and making such a racket that several students had to cover their ears. Buffy was overwhelmed by the beasts and was soon on the ground with the thestrals all crowding over her. 'Great, I'm gonna get eaten by wild horse things. What a way to go,' Buffy thought as she tried to push her way back up, with little success.

"Alrigh', back off," Hagrid said, coming forward to save the blonde. Unfortunately as he got closer to the group of thestrals, one got annoyed, lifted its head and bared its teeth, snapping at Hagrid's hand that was on its skin, pushing it back. The class screamed as they saw Hagrid's hand begin to bleed, as thestrals became more dangerous, and everyone backed away and grouped together.

"We have to do something," Harry said.

"But what?" Hermione asked. "Those are invisible horses, who knows how many, that seem to be ready to attack anyone that goes near them."

Harry took out his wand and aimed it at the thestrals, looking pointedly at Hermione. "If we do it all together, we'll take them out before they can turn on us."

"Right," Hermione said, pulling out her wand. Others around them did the same and soon the words "Stupefy" filled the air, along with the bright red lights. People just pointed at random areas, hoping to hit something, while Harry, Neville, and the Slytherin boy were the only ones to aim properly. One by one the thestrals fell, some coming close to charging the kids, but eventually they were all down.

Buffy stood up, brushing all the leaves and dirt off of her clothes and pushing the hair out of her face. "Thanks," she said, looking around at the unconsious thestrals that littered the ground. "Good aim."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. "Most of us couldn't see them and our curses went everywhere else."

"You didn't hit me," Buffy clarified.

"I'm so sorry," Hagrid said. "I didn' know they'd do that. Don' know wha's gotten into 'em." Hagrid was wringing his hands nervously, waiting for the two women to fire him.

"Don't worry about it," Buffy said. "It's not your fault. Dark scary things tend to attack me a lot." All the Gryffindors snickered at her joke, as they had witnessed Snape on a rampage earlier.

"I jus' don' know why they'd attack you."

"They didn't really attack me so much as they did you. You should really have that looked at," Buffy said, nodding towards his bloody hand.

"I'm alrigh', I've had worse than this," Hagrid said.

"Hem, hem." Buffy and Hagrid turned to look at Umbridge, both with a feeling of dread in their stomachs. "I believe that this was a most intolerable display I have yet to see. Students fighting for their lives, people getting hurt, people getting attacked. I don't know what you were thinking, but clearly you are not fit to be a professor. You have failed your examination and I cannot let you continue teaching. I suggest you pack up your things and leave school grounds immediately."

"What?!" Harry cried. "You can't do that!"

"Of course I can," Umbridge said. "And I don't have to take any more from you. Mr. Potter--"

"I think what he's trying to tell you is that Hagrid is not just a professor at the school; he's also the Gamekeeper. The Keeper of Keys, if you will," Buffy said, standing up for her old friend.

Hagrid had always been so nice to her, letting her have some of his teacakes, regardless of how they tasted. She knew he really enjoyed teaching, but there wasn't much she could do. In this point, Umbridge had more power than her, and Buffy seriously doubted that she'd let this one go. Buffy had already ruined too much for her and she had to be careful where she stepped.

"He may be fired as a professor, but his other jobs still stand and you don't have the authority to change that. Only Dumbledore does, so Hagrid doesn't need to pack and he doesn't need to leave," Buffy finished with a significant look at Harry, trying to tell him to keep his mouth shut. "Class is dismissed, everyone follow Hagrid out of the forest."

The class trooped along as they all began whispering amongst themselves, some about Hagrid, others about Professor Fox and Umbridge, and a couple were still talking about the thestrals.

"I still don' understand why they went after yeh," Hagrid was saying. "They don' normally do tha' unless you provoke them."

"I didn't provoke them. At least, I don't think I did,' Buffy said with a frown. "What provokes them?"

"Loud noises, lots of movemen', spells fired at 'em, normal things," Hagrid said.

"Oh, well, in that case I'm sure I didn't do it," Buffy said confidently. "It's all right," she added, seeing Hagrid's crestfallen face. "I didn't get hurt. And I'm sure you'll get your job back eventually. Don't sweat it."

"But they should've been nice! They're trained and everythin'! They're always good to me!" Hagrid whined.

"Maybe I just smelled really good," Buffy said. "I mean, they were licking me and everything so I couldn't have smelt bad, right?"

"But they only like meat and other dead things," Hagrid said.

Buffy's calm attitude soon vanished as she began to realize why the thestrals were all over her. "So they're attracted to death? I mean, they have connections to people who've seen death."

"Yeah," Hagrid said, blowing his nose.

"Wonderful," Buffy said. 'Death is my gift,' she thought. She had died twice, no wonder the stupid thestrals were entranced when she went near them. Weird.

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"So, what did Professor Fox want with you?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, she wanted to make sure I was okay," Harry said. "She said I was too quiet and it was making her suspicious."

"About that," Hermione said, glancing at Ron. "You have been really, well, depressed, lately," Hermione said quietly. "Will you please tell us what's going on? We can help you."

"I'm fine," Harry said with a grateful smile at his friends. "I know you were worried about me and I'm sorry. I just... I had something on my mind and it wouldn't go away, but I finally think I've figured it out. I'm really okay, now." He didn't like keeping things from his friends, but if he told the truth, he'd have to explain about the prophecy, something he didn't really want to do. He was finally getting over it and his friends would probably go nuts if he told them. He had decided to forget about what it said. HE wasn't going to let it ruin his life, he was just going to use it as a helpful tip.

He and Voldemort would battle, like they had before and Harry always knew they would again, and only one of them would be the winner, which Harry had always known. The information really wasn't anything spectacularly new; it was just startling to hear one's life laid out so plainly. Now Harry was more motivated. He'd focus more on his studies and spend more time learning new spells and preparing himself for what was ahead.

He had no doubts that it would be difficult, but it was his destiny, so he might as well be ready. Plus, he had the whole, 'power the dark lord knows not' thing going for him, so that was a plus. Harry actually wondered if he would be able to kill Voldemort should the opportunity present itself. Taking a human life, no matter how warped it is, was not an easy thing to do. Harry was afraid that by killing Voldemort, he'd actually become the thing he was fighting.

Although, deep down Harry knew that Voldemort's death would be the only way to stop the murders. Innocent peoples lives were on the line and it was possible, according to the prophecy, that if Harry died, Voldemort would eventually rule everything, killing hundreds more people in the process. It was clear now what he had to do; he had to fight. And he had to win.

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"Wormtail, how is the project coming along?" Voldemort hissed.

"It's doing well," Wormtail said, bowing low before his master. "Lucius said it'd be completed within two weeks. Before Christmas vacation."

"Excellent. Make sure there are no mistakes. I don't want to delay our meeting with Mr. Potter any further."

"Yes, my Lord," Wormtail said.

"Is there any new information on the Professor?"

"N... no, my Lord. No one has any idea where she came from or whose side she's on."

"Well, FIND SOMETHING!" Voldemort shouted, causing Wormtail to scurry away before he was punished.

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"Of course!" Willow said, reading the owl Buffy had sent her. "That should work."

Hurrying away, Willow carefully began to brew yet another batch of their potion, believing this might be the last time.

Several hours later, Will emerged from her room with a small vial of dark blue liquid. "This is it. It worked," Willow said, carefully handing it over to Giles.

"Are you sure?" he asked, peering at the potion.

"Well, we haven't actually had the opportunity to test it for real, but all the simulations and equations and everything worked. So, hopefully, it will work. Plus, it looks really pretty!"

"Yes, it looks like a jeweled necklace I had once. Xander, why don't you buy me nice things?" Anya pouted.

"Maybe because all of our things tend to get lost, stolen, burned, broken, buried, or swallowed," Xander said. "And I have little money to buy anything now because our entire town caved in, or did you forget already?"

"Well, get a job. We need money." Xander just rolled his eyes and ignored his girlfriend.

"That's a great idea, Anya," Will said.

"Of course it is. Everybody needs money. It's like one of the necessities of life. Like Oxygen."

"No, not the job, the necklace. I can put this on a chain and send it to Buffy like it's a necklace. Sure it'll look like a vial of potion around her neck, but it doesn't have to. It can be a lot of little small beads of potion. It's perfect!" Willow transformed the vial of potion into a beautiful, blue, beaded necklace and let Morrigan take it back to Buffy. "I hope she likes it."

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CHAPTER 32: THE DA

The days passed quickly and soon December began to roll through. Naturally, Umbridge didn't find a replacement for Care of the Magical Creatures and so took it upon herself to teach the class.

Hagrid was very upset over his dismissal from his teaching position and had locked himself in his hut for four days before Dumbledore finally came down and talked some sense into him. Since then, he had been extremely active in his duties as groundskeeper. Everything looked shiny and new.

Professor Fox had taken to wearing a beautiful blue-jeweled necklace around all the time, which led people to believe she had a nice rich boyfriend, which bought her all kinds of things. She refused to comment on any of their questions and rumors spread rapidly through the school.

Snape's violent outburst had had serious repercussions from both Umbridge and Dumbledore. Umbridge suspended him from his duties for a week and Dumbledore made him apologize in front of the entire student body at dinner. Needless to say, he wasn't a very happy man; people steered clear of him.

Unless their name was Sirius Black, in which case all bets were off.

"She blew you up?" he asked again, just to make sure he was hearing correctly. The Order meeting had started and of course they had to be informed of Professor Fox's strange behavior.

"Yes, Black, as we've been over twice now," Snape ground out. "She was trying to make a distraction so she could steal something from my office," he had explained.

"That's not a distraction, that's a party trick," Sirius said, eyes glittering.

"What did she take?" Moody asked.

"Nightshade. The whole bottle."

"What would she need nightshade for?" Tonks asked. "She's wouldn't kill anyone, would she?"

"I'm afraid we don't know what she's capable of..." Dumbledore said only to be interrupted by Sirius.

"Except blowing up Snape and making him turn colors," Sirius said. "I wish I could've been there."

"... and until we know who she is, we won't have any clue. Does anyone have any leads?" Dumbledore finished.

"I've had no luck," Arthur said. "I've search the French, Dutch and Swedish wizarding records, no one of that name or description."

"Me neither."

"Nothing."

"Sorry."

"I think I'm in love. Do you think someone can arrange for us to meet?" Sirius said thoughtfully, causing everyone to turn and look at him.

"Surprise, surprise. Another blonde," Snape sneered, causing Sirius to stop smiling and glare menacingly at him. "And if you haven't forgotten, you're still a wanted criminal. A murderer. No one's going to want to be with you. When's the last time you've even seen a girl you're age, let alone done anything else."

"Well you're not a wanted murder and you're not locked in a house. So what's your excuse?" Sirius growled.

"Sirius, stop," Remus said gently.

"But he--" Sirius defended.

"I know what he did," Remus said. "And I'd say he'd get what's coming to him, but I think being tossed around the room by his students might have been bad enough," he added, causing Sirius to burst back out into laughter. He couldn't calm himself down and Snape looked ready to pounce, so Remus led his old friend out into the hall.

"Do you think Harry will let me see his memory? What I wouldn't give to see that!" Sirius wondered.

"One of the more ingenious things I've ever heard of. Way better than most of the stuff we did," Remus said fondly.

"And to a professor!" Sirius said. "I mean, its one thing to do it to a student, but a professor is a whole different story! And something that humiliating! In front of everybody!" Sirius burst out in another round of loud laughter, pausing only when he heard a chair slam into the wall in fury, presumably sent by Snape who could still hear the laughter.

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"I think it's time to call another meeting," Harry told Hermione quietly. "We should try to get a couple more in before Christmas break."

"Okay, is Friday good?" Hermione asked, looking at her calendar quickly.

"Yeah, that's sounds fine. I don't think anyone has the pitch booked yet." Harry had been very different ever since his talk after class with Professor Fox. He was calmer, more focused, and he studied a lot more. Not that Hermione was going to complain. O.W.L.s were this year and she knew that Voldemort would likely be after him again. It always seemed to happen before the year was up, typically around finals for some reason.

Harry sometimes thought that he would have been extremely unhappy if it weren't for the DA lessons. He sometimes felt that he was living for the hours he spent in the Room of Requirement, working hard but thoroughly enjoying himself at the same time, swelling with pride as he looked around at his fellow D.A. members and saw how far they had come. Indeed, Harry sometimes wondered how Umbridge was going to react when all the members of the D.A. received 'Outstanding' in their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.s, not to mention any other fifth year class. She still thought that Professor Fox was only teaching them theory and nothing practical.

Harry had also been coming to the Room of Requirement for just regular studying purposes. He had found it to be very useful when he needed obscure curse or jinx texts or when he needed someplace soft so he didn't hurt Hermione or Ron. His grades had begun to improve over the last two weeks, even in Potions, but that might have been due to the absentee professor. Dumbledore had to teach the class himself. It was interesting and fun, for once. And Harry found that with the right professor, he wasn't too bad at it.

They had finally started work on Patronuses, which everybody had been very keen to practice, though as Harry kept reminding them, producing a Patronus in the middle of a brightly lit classroom when they were not under threat was very different to producing it when confronted by something like a dementor.

"Oh, don't be such a killjoy," said Cho brightly, watching her silvery swan-shaped Patronus soar around the Room of Requirement. "They're so pretty!"

"They're not supposed to be pretty, they're supposed to protect you," said Harry patiently. "What we really need is a boggart or something; that's how I learned, I had to conjure a Patronus while the boggart was pretending to be a dementor-"

"But that would be really scary!" said Lavender, who was shooting puffs of silver vapor out of the end of her wand. "And I still - can't - do it!" she added angrily.

Neville wasn't having too much trouble. His happy memory came easily enough; finding his parents waiting for him, alive and well. He had his family back and he couldn't think of a time when he had felt happier. Smoke was streaming from his wand, but no definite form was shaping.

"Harry, I think I'm doing it!" yelled Seamus, who had been brought along to his first ever D.A. meeting by Dean. "Look – ah - it's gone... But it was definitely something hairy, Harry!"

Hermione's Patronus, a shining silver otter, was gamboling around her.

"They are sort of nice, aren't they?" she said, looking at it fondly.

The door of the Room of Requirement opened and then closed again; Harry looked around to see who had entered, but there did not seem to be anybody there. It was a few moments before he realized that the people close to the door had fallen silent. Next thing he knew, something was tugging at his robes somewhere near his knee. He looked down and saw, to his very great astonishment, Dobby the house-elf peering up at him from beneath his usual eight hats.

"Hi, Dobby!" he said. "What are you – what's wrong?"

For the elf's eyes were wide with terror and he was shaking. The members of the D.A. closest to Harry had fallen silent now: Everybody in the room was watching Dobby. The few Patronuses people had managed to conjure faded away into silvery mist, leaving the room looking much darker than before.

"Harry Potter, sir..." squeaked the elf, trembling from head to foot. "Harry Potter, sir... Dobby has come to warn you... but the house-elves have been warned not to tell..."

He ran headfirst at the wall: Harry, who had some experience of Dobby's habits of self-punishment, made to seize him, but Dobby merely bounced off the stone, cushioned by his eight hats. Hermione and a few of the other girls let out squeaks of fear and sympathy.

"What's happened, Dobby?" Harry asked, grabbing the elf's tiny arm and holding him away from anything with which he might seek to hurt himself.

"Harry Potter... she... she..."

Dobby hit himself hard on the nose with his free fist: Harry seized that too.

"Who's 'she', Dobby?"

But he thought he knew – surely only one 'she' could induce such fear in Dobby? The elf looked up at him, slightly cross-eyed, and mouthed wordlessly.

"Umbridge?" asked Harry, horrified.

Dobby nodded, then tried to bang his head off Harry's knees; Harry held him at bay.

"What about her? Dobby – she hasn't found out about this – about us – about the D.A.?"

He read the answer in the elf's stricken face. His hands held fast by Harry, the elf tried to kick himself and fell to the floor.

"Is she coming?" Harry asked quietly.

Dobby let out a howl, and began beating his bare feet hard on the floor. "Yes, Harry Potter, yes!"

Harry straightened up and looked around at the motionless, terrified people gazing at the thrashing elf.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" Harry bellowed. "RUN!"

They all pelted toward the exit at once, forming a scrum at the door, then people burst through; Harry could hear them sprinting along the corridors and hoped they had the sense not to try and make it all the way to their dormitories. It was only ten to nine, if they just took refuge in the library or the Owlery, which were both nearer –

"Harry, come on!" shrieked Hermione from the center of the knot of people now fighting to get out.

He scooped up Dobby, who was still attempting to do himself serious injury, and ran with the elf in his arms to join the back of the queue.

"Dobby – this is an order – get back down to the kitchen with the other elves, and if she asks you whether you warned me, lie and say no!" said Harry. "And I forbid you to hurt yourself!" he added, dropping the elf as he made it over the threshold at last and slammed the door behind him.

"Thank you, Harry Potter!" squeaked Dobby, and he streaked off.

Harry glanced left and right, the others were all moving so fast that he caught only glimpses of flying heels at either end of the corridor before they vanished. He started to run right; there was a boy's bathroom up ahead, he could pretend he'd been in there all the time. He heard feet behind him and decided he couldn't make it and ducked into the next hallway, and the ducked again, taking turns every now and then. Someone was still following him and he could hear spells being cast. Thank goodness he was still practicing Quidditch. His seeker reflexes were really helping him now.

He was out of sight, so he ducked into a little nitch under the stairs and quieted his breathing. He wasn't too far from the Room of Requirement, but someone had been chasing him. He pulled out his Map and whispered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Looking around, Harry noticed that Malfoy had been the one chasing him but he had gone right by him and was now a ways away. Quickly, Harry looked over the map, trying to see if everyone else got away. It looked as if Hermione and Ron were safely tucked away at the library, and a couple people had been smart enough to go to the Owlrey. Quite a few people had gone back to their common rooms, or were heading that way. It looked as if everyone was safe.

That had been close. He looked back towards where he was, trying to figure out which way to go, when a moving dot caught his eye. It said "Elizabeth Potter" and it was heading straight for him! In his shock, Harry didn't notice the dot labeled "Draco Malfoy" coming back the way it had come. Coming back to him. Harry quickly cleared the map, thinking it was some kind of a mistake. He was going to bring it up again, but unfortunately, Malfoy had found him and the words "Stupefy" were the last things he heard.

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Harry was brought to consciousness and was surprised to find himself in the headmaster's office. He relaxed slightly, thinking he had gotten away, but then he tensed up when he realized the office was full of people. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his expression serene, with a hint of anger in his eyes, the tips of his long fingers together. Professor McGonagall stood rigidly beside him, her face extremely tense. Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, was rocking backward and forward on his toes beside the fire, apparently immensely pleased with the situation. Kingsley Shacklebolt and a tough-looking wizard Harry did not recognize with very short, wiry hair were positioned on either side of the door like guards, and the freckled, bespectacled form of Percy Weasley hovered insecurely by the wall, a quill and a heavy scroll of parchment in his hands, apparently poised to take notes. Ever since his reunion with his family, he had been less anxious to follow the Minister's every whim, and now that Harry Potter was about to get expelled, a very good friend of the family, he was worried his already strained relationship with his parents would break if he helped in any way.

The portraits of old headmasters and mistresses were not shamming sleep tonight. All of them were watching what was happening below, alert and serious. As Harry looked around, a few flitted into neighboring frames an whispered urgently into their neighbors' ears.

Harry pulled himself free of Umbridge's grasp and the door swung shut behind them.

"Really," McGonagall said exasperatedly, "was it necessary to stun the boy?"

"He was running from authority; something had to be done," Umbridge said.

Cornelius Fudge was glaring at him with a kind of vicious satisfaction upon his face. "Well," he said. "Well, well, well..."

Harry replied with the dirtiest look he could muster. His heart drummed madly inside him, but his brain was oddly cool and clear.

"He was heading back to Gryffindor Tower," said Umbridge. There was an indecent excitement in her voice, the same callous pleasure Harry had heard as she watched Professor Trelawney dissolving with misery in the entrance hall. "The Malfoy boy found him hiding near the stairs."

"He did, did he?" said Fudge appreciatively. "I must remember to tell Lucius. Perhaps even get him back into class. Well, Potter... I expect you know why you are here?"

Harry fully intended to respond with a defiant "yes": His mouth had opened and the word was half formed when he caught sight of Dumbledore's face. Dumbledore was not looking directly at Harry, as he didn't want to be accused of helping Harry in any way; his eyes were fixed upon a point just over his shoulder, but as Harry stared at him, he shook his head a fraction of an inch to each side.

Harry changed direction mid-word.

"Yeh – no."

"I beg your pardon?" said Fudge.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Buffy said, rushing into the room. "I had to get Malfoy to tell me what was going on; trust me, that took a while. Somebody forgot to let me know we were doing a raid," Buffy said with a significant look at Umbridge. She glanced quickly at Harry who was sitting angrily in the chair by Dumbledore's desk. Buffy walked around the many people and took a place by the back where she could keep an eye on him.

"Hey Fawkes," Buffy said absently as the phoenix flew over towards her and landed on her shoulder. Buffy stroked his head while he chirped a few content notes. Buffy was too busy focusing on what was happening that she missed Dumbledore's intrigued look.

"So, where were we?" Buffy asked as everyone had stopped and stared at her.

"We were just interrogating Potter; he's about to be expelled," Umbridge said.

To say Buffy was shocked would be a drastic understatement, but she carefully kept control of her emotions, pausing only briefly in her petting. "What was so bad that he'd get expelled? Did he burn something down?"

"No," Umbridge sneered.

"Blow something up?" Buffy asked, a puzzled look gracing her features.

"No."

"Kill someone?" Buffy finally asked, "or at least is he suspected of killing someone?"

"NO!" Umbridge finally shouted to get the blonde to shut up. "He has violated the law."

"Which is..." Buffy asked.

"We were just getting to that when you barged in," Fudge said with a calming smile.

"Oh, continue on," Buffy said, as if they needed her permission. Harry had stopped looking at Dumbledore and had taken to studying Professor Fox and what she was going to do.

"Thanks," Umbridge said dryly.

"Right then, Harry. Let's start again, shall we? Do you know why you're here?" Fudge asked smugly.

"No," Harry said stubbornly.

"No?" Buffy asked. "I mean, surely, if you've done something that bad, obviously you'd know about it. I mean, I might not have been the brightest kid at my school, but at least I knew why I was being expelled, which is way off the subject here."

"I don't know," Harry said, breaking the amazed silence and focusing the attention back on himself. "I didn't do anything."

Fudge looked incredulously from Harry to Professor Umbridge to Professor Fox. Harry took advantage of his momentary inattention to steal another quick look at Dumbledore, who gave the carper the tiniest of nods and the shadow of a wink, which Buffy's incredible senses took into account.

"So you have no idea," said Fudge in a voice positively sagging with sarcasm, "why Professor Umbridge has brought you to this office? You are not aware that you have broken any school rules?"

"School rules?" said Harry. "No."

"Or Ministry decrees?" amended Fudge angrily.

"Which one?" Buffy whispered sarcastically.

"Not that I'm aware of," said Harry blandly.

His heart was still hammering very fast. It was almost worth telling these lies to watch Fudge's blood pressure rising, but he could not see how on earth he would get away with them. If somebody had tipped off Umbridge about the D.A. then he, the leader, might as well be packing his trunk right now.

"So it's news to you, is it," said Fudge, his voice now thick with anger, "that an illegal student organization has been discovered within this school?"

"Yes, it is," said Harry, hoisting an unconvincing look of innocent surprise onto his face.

"I think, Minister," said Umbridge silkily from beside him, "we might make better progress if I fetch our informant."

"Yes, yes, do," said Fudge, nodding, and he glanced maliciously at Dumbledore as Umbridge left the room. "There's nothing like a good witness, is there, Dumbledore?"

"Nothing at all, Cornelius," said Dumbledore gravely, inclining his head.

There was a wait of several minutes, in which nobody looked at each other, then Harry heard the door open behind him. Umbridge moved past him into the room, gripping by the shoulder Cho's curly-haired friend Marietta, who was hiding her face in her hands.

"Don't be scared, dead, don't be frightened," said Professor Umbridge softly, patting her on the back, "it's quite all right, now. You have done the right thing. The minister is very pleased with you. He'll be telling your mother what a good girl you've been. Marietta's mother, Minister," she added, looking at Fudge, "is Madam Edgecombe from the Department of Magical Transportation. Floo Network office – she's been helping us police the Hogwarts fires, you know."

"Jolly good, jolly good!" said Fudge heartily. "Like mother, like daughter, eh? Well, come on, now, dear, look up, don't be shy, let's hear what you've got to – galloping gargoyles!"

As Marietta raised her head, Fudge leapt backward in shock, nearly landing himself in the fire. He cursed and stamped on the hem of his cloak, which had started to smoke, and Marietta gave a wail and pulled the neck of her robes right up to her eyes, but not before the whole room had seen that her face was horribly disfigured by a series of close-set purple pustules that had spread across her nose and cheeks to form the word "SNEAK."

Buffy wasn't able to stifle her laugh at the scene in front of her, but managed to clamp it down when everyone turned to look at her with wide eyes. Buffy promptly wiped the grin off her face and said "Oh, how terrible. That's just... awful. Someone should have to be punished. I mean, purple does nothing for her complexion."

"Miss Fox," McGonagall said, shocked. "This is no laughing matter. This poor girl is traumatized and another student is about to be expelled; surely even you could show some sympathy."

"I'm sorry, really," Buffy said. "I'll be a good girl and keep my mouth closed. But obviously she did something wrong here. I mean, did you see her face?"

"Never mind the spots now, dear," said Umbridge when she burst out into another set of wails. "Just take your robes away from your mouth and tell the Minister-–"

But Marietta's wails were too much and she just shook her head frantically.

"Oh, very well, you silly girl, I'll tell him," snapped Umbridge. She hitched her sickly smile back onto her face and said, "Well, Minister, Miss Edgecombe here came to my office shortly after dinner this evening and told me she had something she wanted to tell me. She said that if I proceeded to a secret room on the seventh floor, sometimes known as the Room of Requirement, I would find out something to my advantage. I questioned her a little further and she admitted that there was to be some kind of meeting there. Unfortunately at this point this hex," she waved impatiently at Marietta's concealed face, "came into operation and upon catching sight of her face in my mirror the girl became too distressed to tell me any more."

"Well, now," said Fudge, fixing Marietta with what he evidently imagined was a kind and fatherly look. "It is very brave of you, my dear, coming to tell Professor Umbridge, you did exactly the right thing. Now, will you tell me what happened at this meeting? What was its purpose? Who was there?"

But Marietta would not speak. She merely shook her head again, her eyes wide and fearful.

"Haven't we got a counter jinx for this," Fudge asked Umbridge impatiently, gesturing at Marietta's face. "So she can speak freely?"

"I have not yet managed to find one," Umbridge admitted grudgingly, and Harry felt a surge of pride in Hermione's jinxing ability. "But it doesn't matter if she won't speak, I can take up the story from here.

"You will remember, Minister, that I sent you a report back in October that Potter had met a number of fellow students in the Hog's Head in Hogsmead-–"

"And what is your evidence for that?" cut in Professor McGonagall. Buffy, meanwhile, was listening intently, gathering all the information she could, seeing as how she was cut out of the loop this time. The wheels began to turn in her head.

"I have testimony from Willy Widdershins, Minerva, who happened to be in the bar at the time. He was heavily bandaged, it is true, but his hearing was quite unimpaired," said Umbridge smugly. "He heard every word Potter said and hastened straight to the school to report to me-–"

"Oh, so that's why he wasn't prosecuted for setting up all those regurgitating toilets!" said Professor McGonagall, raising her eyebrows. "What an interesting insight into our justice system!"

"Blatant corruption!" roared the portrait of the corpulent, red nosed wizard on the wall behind Dumbledore's desk. "The Ministry did not cut deals with petty criminals in my day, no sir, they did not!"

"Thank you, Fortescue, that will do," said Dumbledore softly.

"The purpose of Potter's meeting with these students," continued Professor Umbridge, "was to persuade them to join an illegal society whose aim was to learn spells and curses the Ministry has decided are inappropriate for school-age-–"

"I think you'll find you're wrong there, Dolores," said Dumbledore quietly, peering at her over the half-moon spectacles perched halfway down his crooked nose.

Harry stared at him. He could not see how Dumbledore was going to talk him out of this one; if Willy Widdershins had indeed heard every word he said in Hog's Head there was simply no escaping it.

"Oho!" said Fudge, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet again. "Yes, do let's hear the latest cock-and-bull story designed to pull Potter out of trouble. Go on, then, Dumbledore, go on – Willy Widdershins was lying, was he? Or was it Potter's identical twin in the Hog's Head that day? Or is there the usual simple explanation involving a reversal of time, a dead man coming back to life, and a couple of invisible dementors?"

Umbridge let out a hearty laugh, while Percy still sat nervously in the corner. "Oh, very good, Minister, very good!"

Harry could have kicked her. Then he saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore was smiling gently too.

"Cornelius, I do not deny – and nor, I am sure, does Harry – that he was in the Hog's Head that day, nor that he was trying to recruit students to Defense Against the Dark Arts group. I am merely pointing out that Dolores is quite wrong to suggest that suck a group was, at that time, illegal. If you remember, the Ministry decree banning all student societies was not put into effect until two days after Harry's Hogsmeade meeting, so he was not breaking any rules in the Hog's Head at all."

Umbridge looked as though she had been struck in the face by something very heavy. Fudge remained motionless in mid-bounce, his mouth hanging open and Buffy looked curiously at Dumbledore.

Umbridge recovered first.

"That's all very fine, Headmaster," she said, smiling sweetly. "But we are now nearly two months on from the introduction of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four. If the first meeting was not illegal, all those that have happened since most certainly are."

"Well," said Dumbledore, surveying her with polite interest over the top of his interlocked fingers "they certainly would be, if they had continued after the decree came into effect. Do you have any evidence that these meetings continued?"

As Dumbledore spoke, Harry heard a rustle behind him and rather thought Kingsley whispered something. He could have sworn too that he felt something brush against his side, a gentle something like a draft or bird wings, but looking down he saw nothing there.

"Evidence?" repeated Umbridge with that horrible wide toad like smile. "Have you not been listening, Dumbledore? Why do you think Miss Edgecombe is here?"

"Oh, can she tell us about two months' worth of meetings?" said Dumbledore, raising his eyebrows. "I was under the impression that she was merely reporting a meeting tonight."

"Miss Edgecombe," said Umbridge at once, "tell us how long these meetings have been going on, dear. You can simply nod or shake your head, I'm sure that won't make the spots worse. Have they been happening regularly over the last two months?"

Harry felt a horrible plummeting in his stomach. This was it, they had hit a dead end of solid evidence that not even Dumbledore would be able to shift aside...

"Just nod or shake your head, dear," Umbridge said coaxingly to Marietta. "Come on, now, that won't activate the jinx further..."

Everyone in the room was gazing at the top of Marietta's face. Only her eyes were visible between the pulled up robes and her curly fringe. Perhaps it was a trick of the firelight, but her eyes looked oddly blank. And then – to Harry's utter amazement – Marietta shook her head.

Umbridge looked quickly at Fudge and then back at Marietta. "I don't think you understood the question, did you, dear? I'm asking whethere you've been going to thses meetings for the past two months? You have, haven't you?"

Again, Marietta shook her head.

"What do you mean by shaking your head, dear?" said Umbridge in a testy voice.

"I would have thought her meaning was quite clear," said Professor McGonagall harshly. "There have been no secret meetings for the past two months. Is that correct, Miss Edgecombe?"

Marietta nodded.

"Well that certainly clears up a lot. Anyone else have other plans for tonight?" Buffy asked.

"But there was a meeting tonight!" said Umbridge furiously, ignoring Professor Fox. "There was a meeting, Miss Edgecombe, you told me about it, in the Room of Requirement! And Potter was the leader, was he not, Potter organized it, Potter – why are you shaking your head, girl?"

"Obviously she doesn't know what you're talking about," Buffy said. "And I'm sure yelling at her is really going to help."

"Usually when a person shakes their head," said McGonagall coldly, "they mean 'no,' so unless Miss Edgecombe is using a form of sign language as yet unknown to humans –"

Professor Umbridge seized Marietta, pulled her around to face her, and began shaking her very hard. A split second later Dumbledore was on his feet, his wand raised. Kingsley started forward and Umbridge leapt back from Marietta, waving her hands in the air as though they had been burned.

"I cannot allow you to manhandle my students, Dolores," said Dumbledore, and for the first time, he looked angry and Buffy took a step back, eying him warily.

"You want to calm yourself, Madam Umbridge," said Kingsley in his deep, slow voice. "You don't want to get yourself into trouble now."

"We wouldn't want that," Buffy muttered.

"No," said Umbridge breathlessly, glancing at the towering figure of Kingsley. "I mean, yes – you're right, Shacklebolt – I – I forgot myself."

"More like lost your bloody mind, but who's checking, right?" Buffy said.

Marietta was standing exactly where Umbridge had released her. She seemed neither perturbed by Umbridge's sudden attack, nor relieved by her release. She was still clutching her robe up to her oddly blank eyes, staring straight ahead of her.

"I think you broke her," Buffy said.

A sudden suspicion connected to Kingsley's whisper and the thing he had felt shoot past him sprang into Harry's mind.

"Dolores," said Fudge, with the air of trying to settle something once and for all, "the meeting tonight - the one we know definitely happened-–"

"Yes," said Umbridge, pulling herself together, "yes... well, Miss Edgecombe tipped me off and I proceeded at once to the seventh floor, accompanied by certain trustworthy students-–"

"You mean Malfoy?" Buffy snorted. "The one boy in the entire school that everyone knows has it in for Harry?" When Umbridge turned to glare at her, she added, "Just checking, you know, keeping things in perspective."

"--so as to catch those in the meeting red-handed. It appears that they were forewarned of my arrival, however, because when we reached the seventh floor they were running in every direction. It does not matter, however. I have all their names here, Miss Parkinson ran into the Room of Requirement for me to see if they had left anything behind... We needed evidence and the room provided..."

And to Harry's horror, she withdrew from her pocket the list of names that had been pinned upon the Room of Requirement's wall and handed the folded up piece of parchment to Fudge.

Buffy's stomach flip-flopped as to what the parchment could be. Her only guess was something not good.

"The moment I saw Potter's name on the list, I knew what we were dealing with," she said softly.

The look of horror on Harry's face confirmed her suspicions and Buffy briefly waggled her fingers, going unnoticed by everyone but Harry. "What is it?" Buffy asked, glancing over Fudge's shoulder as he opened the parchment. "Now that's really something," she said finally. "Can I keep it? I always wanted to have something like this."

"Perhaps you've given us the wrong paper, Umbridge," Fudge said finally, a note of hope mixed in his anxious voice. Everyone else in the room was confused as to what was happening.

"No, I didn't. It's a list. A list of all the names in the meeting," Umbridge stuttered.

"Right, well, make sure you throw out your crack pipe, okay?" Buffy said. "Those things really aren't good for your health. And now you're being delusional. Maybe we should get you some help."

"What is the problem?" Umbridge said, snatching the parchment out of Fudge's hand. She looked at it incomprehensibly before her eyes widened in shock. "NO! This isn't possible! There was a list! A list of names!"

"Uh huh, and I'm the Queen of England," Buffy said.

"NO! Finite Incantatum! Reveal! NO!" Umbridge cried as her spells did nothing to make the names reappear. "You! You did this, didn't you?" Umbridge cried, rounding on Potter and dropping the paper to reveal a Picasso-like painting. "You've messed with it all, haven't you?"

"Okay, lay off the schnapps for a while," Buffy cried, pulling Umbridge away from Harry.

"Control yourself, Dolores. or I will be forced to remove you from my office and consequently my school. You cannot harass my students," Dumbledore said.

"But, he also had another paper on him when Mr. Malfoy found him!" Umbridge said, once again trying to destroy the boy. "Something that's obviously illegal, using it to navigate the school or some such thing."

Buffy stiffened slightly as she looked briefly at Harry. It couldn't be... could it? If it was, did he know? This really wasn't the way she wanted him to find out about her. She was going to free Sirius, find Remus and then explain everything to Harry when they were a big happy family. A nice reunion where nothing could go wrong.

"Yes, Malfoy said that he'd seen it before, where did I put it?" Umbridge muttered before pulling a thick piece of parchment out of her pocket. "Ah-ha!" she cried. "Here."

"You've downgraded," Buffy said as she swiped the paper before Fudge could wrap his grubby palms all over it. "This one's blank. No pretty pictures." Buffy breathed a slight sigh of relief that if this was the map, which it certainly seemed to be, then it was thankfully blank. Who knew what would happen if everyone found out that Elizabeth Potter was standing right in the room with them? Alive and well?

"Yes, but it can only be read by certain people!" Umbridge said. "There must be some sort of spell or enchantment on it."

"Maybe you've been working too hard," Buffy suggested. "It seems that you're becoming even more delusional than you were. One might even say paranoid. Don't you think she's in need of a nice, long break?" Buffy asked Fudge, looking him in his eyes.

Fudge became slightly less alert as he fell under Buffy's persuasion. "Yes, I think that's a wonderful idea."

Dumbledore looked sharply at the girl that seemed to be, to some extent, controlling the Minister of Magic, for whatever reasons. It wasn't the first time a professor pretended to be on one side only to show their true face right before they tried to kill Harry. No matter what she was playing at today, it didn't seem to be looking too good for her.

"But Cornelius," Umbridge protested disbelievingly. "I'm your right hand! You need me! You're going to listen to her?! She's been-–"

"Look, I think we've all had a big misunderstanding and are wasting our perfectly good Friday night. It's obvious what's going on," Buffy said, interrupting Umbridge's rant before she could say anything too incriminating.

"And what is that?" Fudge asked, amazed.

"They had a meeting once in October. Big deal. Now, it just so happens that they're growing up. Amazingly enough, there are teenagers at this school and their hormones are running wild," Buffy said. Harry was the only one that really understood where she seemed to be going with this and a blush immediately started to grow on his cheeks.

"I mean, it's happened before and it's happened again, only this time things seem to be more complicated. This isn't the first time this has happened. The things that went on behind closed doors at my old school... well, I don't think it's very appropriate for the moment." Harry's face was rose red and he couldn't even lift his gaze from the spot that looked so very interesting on the floor.

"What are you talking about?" Fudge asked, bewildered.

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Do I have to spell it out for you? There were teenagers, boys and girls, apparently in this room in which you could get whatever you required, including nice cushioned areas. Do the math." Since Fudge's confused expression did not change, Buffy said, "They were making out! They were snogging, doing other dirty things, I'm sure. We don't really want the details."

"But then why would people be running?" Fudge said after a moment of blushing silence and glances and the thoroughly embarrassed Harry.

"Did you ever want to be caught while you were kissing your girlfriend?" Buffy asked. "If you ever had one? I mean, really. How embarrassing can you get?"

"Apparently not as much as this," Harry muttered, earning him an amused glance from both Buffy and Dumbledore.

"Yes, well," sputtered Fudge, "why does that child have those things on her face?"

"Well, Harry's a pretty well-known kid and he probably didn't want news of his new girlfriend to spread around the school. Think of what he'd have to endure. So someone put a spell on her so that she wouldn't tell, or if she did, she'd regret it."

"Ah, but she wasn't near the room this evening while Harry was," Umbridge said smugly.

"Obviously they broke up and he found another girl. That's why she told. She wanted, not only to say she dated the great Harry Potter, but also to get him into trouble of some kind. Pay him back for dumping her. That's the way teenagers are. Significant others don't last long when you're that young. Trust me, I've seen it. Been there, done that, not too long ago," Buffy said, to which Fudge and Umbridge had no response.

"Well, as it seems there is no evidence and a perfectly valid reason, which is not against any rules, is brought to light, then Mr. Potter is cleared of all charges and now may head off to bed," Dumbledore said. "We have no reason to keep him here any longer and he has no reason to be expelled. Minister it has been wonderful having you here, but I'm sure you have more important matters waiting for you at home. Please feel free to use my own fireplace, as well as anyone else. Professor Fox, Professor Umbridge, have a goodnight."

Harry gratefully got up and walked out of the room, throwing a grateful look at both Dumbledore and Buffy, which no one really caught as she was walking out of the room too. Fudge and Umbridge had no more reason to stay and so reluctantly left empty-handed.

Harry ran through the halls and didn't stop until he got to his common room. He couldn't believe what had just happened!

"Harry! You're okay!" Hermione exclaimed, running to him and throwing herself around him in a relieved hug. "You are okay, right?"

"Yeah, but you won't believe what happened..."

"She did, what?" Hermione asked after everything had been explained to her and Ron.

"And you always thought she was out for blood," Ron said triumphantly. "I knew someone that hot couldn't be bad," he said, which earned him a smack from Hermione.

"But why would she do that? It doesn't make sense. They had you! They could have expelled you!"

"Thanks for reminding me," Harry groaned. "I came so close... I thought I was a goner."

"Well thank Professor Fox!" Ron said enthusiastically.

"Actually, I'll have to go see her tomorrow," Harry said with a frown. "She has my map. Draco must have taken it from me when he... The MAP!" Harry yelled suddenly, startling Ron and Hermione.

"What about it? Is it open? I thought you cleared it," Hermione said worriedly.

"No, before, when I was hiding from Malfoy, I was making sure everyone had gotten away and a dot caught my attention. It said "Elizabeth Potter" on it," Harry explained.

"Potter?" Hermione asked, astounded. "But, there are no other Potters, are there?"

"Not that I know of," Harry said. "Surely I wouldn't have had to stay at the Dursley's if I had another relative, right?"

"Maybe the map made a mistake," Ron suggested.

"That's what I thought. I cleared the map and I meant to take another look, just to make sure, but I never got the time. Malfoy must have snuck up behind me."

"Where was the dot on the map?" Hermione asked. "Was it in somebody's office or room? Maybe we could figure out who it was."

"No, it was going down the hall, towards me."

"You don't think... nah," Hermione said, gulping loudly.

"What?" Harry and Ron asked.

Hermione took a deep breath and forged on at her friends' inquisitive looks. "You don't think it's Umbridge, do you? I mean, she was searching the grounds right with Malfoy and she's the one that found you and took you to Dumbledore's office."

Harry and Ron's eyes grew round at the suggestion. "No, no it couldn't be. It has to be a mistake the map made. Besides, I think I remember seeing Umbridge's name somewhere."

"Or maybe it's just like Pettigrew!" Hermione said. "Maybe whoever it is is an animagus!"

"But why haven't we seen the name before?" Ron asked.

"I... I don't know," Hermione said.

"I just wish we had the map! Then we could figure all this out. Hang on," Harry said suddenly, running up to his dorm. He came back down holding his photo album Hagrid had given him in his first year. "If I do have a relative named Elizabeth, she has to be somewhere in these pictures!" Harry began flipping though, trying to find a girl that he had never recognized.

"Nothing!" Harry sighed, closing the book. "Sirius told me who everyone was. I just thought that maybe he'd missed someone."

"Sirius!" Hermione exclaimed. "Sirius would know anyone named Elizabeth Potter. She has to be related to your dad, and your dad and he were best friends!"

"Of course!" Harry said. "We can just ask Sirius. Although we have to be careful because the owls are getting intercepted," he said, deflating a bit. He didn't want to put poor Hedwig in any more trouble than the last time she was attacked.

"Oh yeah," Hermione said.

Before anyone could come up with a better plan, the perfect solution walked through the portrait door. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasely, may I have a word?" she asked. By now, the common room was empty except for a few stragglers, but the three looked at each other anxiously and then followed her back out into the hallway, away from any portraits.

"Due to today's... events," McGonagall said with a small smirk on her face, "the headmaster believes that it might be best if you three stayed away for the weekend. He figured it would be best if you stayed out of trouble and away from the Ministry officials for a while and hopefully everything will cool down a bit before classes begin on Monday. He thought it was time for you to visit you pet, Potter."

The three students exchanged grins. This was perfect! Not only would they be able to ask Sirius about the map, they would also be able to get away from Umbridge! It was brilliant!

"Now I have a portkey for you as soon as you pack a bag," McGonagall said. "Now hurry up."

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CHAPTER 33: EXPLANATIONS

After hurriedly packing, while being exceedingly quiet so as not to wake their roommates, Harry, Ron and Hermione grabbed a hold of the portkey Professor McGonagall had arranged for them. In seconds, they disappeared from the Gryffindor common room and were sprawled over the kitchen floor of Grimmauld Place.

The three students untangled themselves, and their luggage, and stood up, brushing themselves off. "I'll never get used to that," Ron complained.

"I don't think luggage helped," Hermione said.

Harry wasn't listening to his friends, since all his attention was focused on finding Sirius. Unfortunately, everyone was in an impromptu Order meeting that was taking place in a different room in the house.

"Where are they?" Harry asked.

"It is pretty late," Hermione said. "Maybe Sirius is already asleep."

"Maybe," Harry said with a frown.

"What?" Hermione asked, knowing Harry well enough to know that something was bothering her friend.

"I just thought he would've been waiting for us, that's all," Harry said, struggling for indifference.

"Oh," Hermione said, understanding. "Professor McGonagall did surprise us with the information, so I doubt he was even contacted. I'm sure he'll be surprised in the morning."

"You're probably right," Harry said.

"Probably?" Ron questioned. "Probably? Hermione's always right."

"Ah, you're here," Mrs. Weasley said, bustling in through the kitchen doors. "Albus told us you were coming. Everyone's in an Order meeting, Sirius and Remus too," she added, as if knowing what was on Harry's mind.

"You were wrong," Ron breathed with wide eyes, looking at Hermione.

"How could I possibly know what was going on? I took a wild guess," she said.

"I jinxed it. Now you'll never be right again and it's all my fault," Ron said, not looking away from her. "My whole world is forever changed. What are we going to do about homework, Harry?"

Hermione, who was looking slightly flattered, scowled at Ron's last sentence and smacked him while she walked right by. "You can do it yourself from now on," she said. "You won't get so much as a peep from me, especially if you didn't jinx me."

Ron's eyes widened even further as he realized what this meant. Her tone was anything but comical. "I was just kidding," he said, however Hermione didn't stop walking. "She knows I was kidding, right?" Ron asked Harry.

"I don't know, mate," Harry said, amused.

"Well, you can find out tomorrow," Mrs. Weasley said, ushering them all out of the kitchen and up to their rooms. "It's late and you should be in bed."

"But I really need to talk to Sirius," Harry protested.

"You can see him tomorrow, dear. Right now he's at the meeting and it might be awhile before he gets out. And don't even think of trying to listen in," she said, crushing their hopes. "The protection charms have been increased due to Fred and George's miserable inventions."

"But it's important," Harry said. "I'll wait up, I'm not even tired."

"You say that now but tomorrow you'll be sleeping late and dragging around all day. You might as well get some sleep because you're not seeing Sirius tonight. Now get to bed. All of you," Mrs. Weasley said. "They'll be plenty of time to catch up tomorrow."

Harry sighed and shared a look of exasperation with Ron. They both knew they weren't going to win the argument. "Come on, mate. It can wait a couple hours."

"Yeah," Harry muttered dejectedly, dragging his bag up the stairs.

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"Let me get this straight," Moody said after Dumbledore finished describing the events of the evening, "Are you suggesting that she's controlling the Minister of Magic?"

"It would make sense," Snape hissed, "seeing as how she gets away with everything."

"You're just jealous," Sirius said happily. "She gets control of the Minister, gets the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, gets away with tricking and embarrassing you, while you step out of line and get a two week suspension. How was that by the way? Get much done?"

"That's another thing," McGonagall said, interrupting Snape's retort, "she could do whatever she wanted, but she's at Hogwarts, seemingly protecting Harry. I'm not saying that she did anything, but it seems a little odd that all the evidence Umbridge had mysteriously disappeared. They could have easily had him expelled, but he got away unscathed."

"It seems to happen a lot around here," Snape said. "The boy never gets in trouble no matter how high the offense."

"Well, seeing as how we'd all be dead if Harry hadn't broken quite a few of those rules, I see nothing to complain about," McGonagall said.

"You wouldn't," Snape sneered.

"You're just bitter because the House Cup has been noticeably absent from your office over the last four years," McGonagall said, goading Snape.

"That's a valid point, Minerva," Dumbledore said, causing everyone to look at him with startled expressions. "About Miss Fox," he clarified with a smile.

"Of course," she said.

"However," he continued, "I'm not so sure she has the best intentions for Mr. Potter. She may be trying to lure him into a false sense of security and gain his trust, much like young Mr. Crouch did last year. If she's planning for anything to happen to him at school, it would not do for him to be expelled."

"But she hates Snape, how can she be bad?" Sirius asked, bewildered.

"I do believe that Mr. Crouch wasn't too fond of our Potions professor either," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Not all the Death Eaters know each other, or even like each other. "Sarah Fox could be anyone if she is using a muggle's identity and polyjuice potion, which some of the stolen ingredients indicate she might be doing."

"So let's just tie her up and wait an hour," Tonks suggested.

"But that would be no fun," Sirius said, already knowing why they wouldn't do that.

"It'd take the pleasure out of guessing," Remus added.

"The point is to find out who she is and stop her, right?" Tonks asked, confused.

"To some degree, yes," Dumbledore said. "Unfortunately, we don't have enough evidence to prove that she's doing anything wrong."

"Since when do we care about following all the laws?" Snape asked.

"Since we may be putting an innocent young woman's life at stake," Dumbledore said. "It is a serious offense to accuse someone of controlling another person, let alone suspecting that person of controlling the Minister of Magic himself."

"And it's possible we're all being extremely paranoid," Remus said, "although that's not too likely, considering no one can identify any Sarah Fox."

"That seems to be the only real evidence we have against her and even then she may be from some far off country. Or she might have changed her name and/or her appearance for some reason or another."

"We must tread carefully and try to find out her real motives," Dumbledore said. "Once we know what she wants or who she is, we'll be able to take more decisive action."

"And if Harry gets taken and killed will we be able to do something to her then?" Sirius asked sarcastically. "If we think she's going after Harry, don't you think we should do something about it? He gets into enough trouble as it is, never mind the kind we just leave him open for."

"Harry is more than capable of taking care of himself," Dumbledore said with a tired sigh. "He is growing up and does not need, or want, the constant attention that we usually place on him. Not that I'm saying we're not going to be cautious," he added when he saw Sirius about to yell, "We'll just be more discrete."

"Don't you think we should warn Harry that it's possible his professor is after him?" Remus asked. "He tends to trust his professors more willingly than other people," he said. With a quick glance at Snape he said, "Well, most of them anyway."

"He'll need to learn who to trust on his own," Dumbledore said. "He's been doing fine these last four years and I believe he'll continue to do so throughout the rest of his life. If we're always around, telling him what is right and what is wrong, he won't be able to do anything for himself when the time comes. And I fear that that time will come sooner than any of us expect.

"How are things, anyway," Dumbledore asked Snape.

"I still haven't been privy to any information regarding the weapon. All I know is that it's almost done and I don't think we want that to happen. He's stopped going after the Department of Mysteries, but he's out for blood."

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The next morning Harry, Ron and Hermione were anxiously sitting in the kitchen, waiting for Sirius to show up. Mrs. Weasley was currently making a very big breakfast for them all. She had greeted them much warmer than she had the night before, hugging them, exclaiming how glad she was to see them and asking how they were doing.

"You boys aren't getting into too much trouble, are you?" Mrs. Weasley asked suspiciously as she tried to break the silence.

"No Mrs. Weasley," Harry said with a smile.

"Of course not, mum," Ron said. "I can't believe you'd even accuse us of something like that. Really, mothers should be supportive and loving, not accusatory."

"You're becoming more like the twins every day," Mrs. Weasley said, stopping her stirring to look at her son briefly.

"The scary part is, I don't know if that's good or bad," Ron whispered to Harry. "And how come you didn't ask if Hermione was getting into trouble?"

"Because it's Hermione, dear," Mrs. Weasley laughed. "The day she gets into trouble..."

Harry, Ron and Hermione all exchanged amused glances. "You know, it's usually Harry who gets us into things and Hermione that points the way. I just tag along like a good friend, making sure you all don't get yourselves killed," Ron said to his friends.

"You keep telling yourself that, Ron," Hermione said. "Right after you've finished all your homework by yourself."

"It's not like you ever do it for me anyway," Ron grumbled.

"She better not!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, overhearing part of their conversation. "I should hope you're not going to that school just so Hermione can do your work."

"Of course not, mum," Ron said. "Hermione would never cheat."

"And you would?" Mrs. Weasley asked, picking apart his words.

"No! I just meant that if I would cheat, which I wouldn't, Hermione would never allow it and she'd stop it. She just looks over our homework occasionally to make sure it's correct. It's not like she does our work," Ron said.

"Although I haven't been correcting much on yours lately, Harry," Hermoine said with a curious glance at Harry.

"Yeah, what's up with that, mate?" Ron asked. "Some days you're spending more time at the library then Hermione!"

"I've been busy," Harry said, avoiding his friends glances. "I had D.A. planning to do, which we've been having more often, and I didn't want to fall behind in my other classes."

"I think it's wonderful you're studying more," Hermione said. "It wouldn't kill you to do the same," Hermione said to Ron.

"She's right, you know," Mrs. Weasley said, interrupting again, this time putting plates of steaming food on the table. "You could do with a little more studying. You have O.W.L.s this year and you don't want to do as poorly as Fred and George, do you?"

"Mum!" Ron whined, as if he'd heard the same speech over and over, which he probably had.

"I'm just saying," she said, backing away. "A little more studying never hurt anyone."

"Some day we should find proof that that isn't true," Ron said to Harry.

"Harry!" Sirius said, walking through the doors, trailing behind Remus. "How are you?" he asked, giving Harry a hug.

"I'm glad to see you," he said with a fond smile. "Hi Professor Lupin."

"Hi Harry. I trust everything's going well?"

"Pretty much," Harry said, glancing briefly at Mrs. Weasley. Sirius and Remus seemed to pick up the hint.

"Hello Hermione, Ron," Lupin said. "How's school been going?"

"It's been interesting," Hermione said with a glance at Harry, which didn't go unnoticed by Sirius or Remus.

"Really? A little too interesting, perhaps," Remus said.

"You should've been more careful," Sirius said to Harry. "I'm all for your defense lessons, seeing as how you're not learning anything useful in class," another glance between the three did go unnoticed, "but not if you're going to be expelled."

"I know," Harry said. "One of the members told on us. Cho said she was trustworthy, so we let her in."

"You really should be more careful about who you trust," Remus said. "Someone perfectly innocent looking will stab you in the back."

"You do remember Pettigrew, right?" Sirius asked with a scowl.

"Of course," Harry said with a frown.

"You're just lucky that things went so well last night, otherwise I have no doubt you'd be expelled," Remus said. "They were just looking for an excuse and you practically handed yourself over."

"I know," Harry said.

"Here's some breakfast," Mrs. Weasley said, shoving two more plates in front of Sirius and Remus. "You two really should eat up," she said with a frown. "You're looking thinner every day."

"I'm sure you'll do your best to fatten us up," Remus said with an affectionate smile.

"Somebody has to," she said, cleaning up the mess she made. "Now, I have some cleaning to be done back at home, so if you'll excuse me I'll be back in time for lunch." Mrs. Weasley promptly left via the fireplace, thankfully leaving the trio alone with Remus and Sirius.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Sirius asked once he was sure no one else was around. No one else from the order had stayed that night and no one was expected anytime soon.

Harry paused only briefly, considering how to bring up the subject when he just decided to be straightforward. Maybe he'd get more answers that way. "Who's Elizabeth Potter?"

Sirius and Remus both froze, looking at Harry with surprised expressions and forgetting about their steaming breakfast.

Remus glanced at Sirius, as if trying to gauge his reaction. Buffy was hardly ever a safe topic to discuss with Sirius. After she had died, no one really talked about her unless Sirius or James brought her up. Either they would become depressed and almost catatonic or they'd become irrationally angry at whoever mentioned her. Remus could only hope that Sirius had gotten over his guilt and anger, but looking in his eyes, he knew that he hadn't. He still loved her and it hurt to remember his lost love, no matter how long ago. It wasn't too surprising, as he had been in Azkaban for most of the time since she died, probably repeatedly reliving that night.

"Who... where... how did you... why do you want to know?" Remus asked for Sirius, afraid of his response.

Harry exchanged a curious look with his friends, noting the startling reactions of the two adults. "Because obviously she's related to me somehow and I want to know who she is. And why no one's ever told me about her before," he finished, a hint of his old anger returning. This was his family and no one had mentioned that he had another living relative. He could have stayed with her instead of the Dursleys all these years.

"Who told you? How'd you find out?" Sirius asked.

"I'm not saying anything until you tell me who she is," Harry said crossly.

"Was it Snape? It was Snape, wasn't it? The bastard," Sirius growled.

"Who is she?" Harry asked stubbornly.

"It doesn't matter who she is, just forget about her," Sirius said.

"But I want to know!" Harry said. He couldn't believe Sirius of all people was withholding information from him! What was he doing?

"Some things you don't need to know!" Sirius said angrily. Now Remus knew which reaction Sirius was having. Silent depression obviously wasn't setting in.

"When are you going to stop treating me like a kid! I'm fifteen and I've got a right to know! I'm sick and tired of everyone hiding things from me and trying to protect me!" Harry said, not pausing when Hermione tried to put a calming hand on his arm.

"You know, not everything is about you," Sirius snapped. "Amazingly enough, there are other people in the world that don't think about you and how you feel and what you want twenty four hours a day. Other people have problems that don't involve you! Sometimes people don't tell you things to protect you..."

"I don't want to be protected! I want the truth!" Harry interrupted.

"... And other times people don't tell you things because it doesn't have anything to do with you and there's nothing to be done about it," Sirius finished.

"It has everything to do with me!" Harry yelled. "I know she's related to me somehow! Just tell me who she is!"

"James's younger sister," Sirius growled, storming out of the kitchen and slamming the door behind him.

The whole kitchen sat in shocked silence. Whatever the trio had been expecting, it wasn't that, although, that should've been one of their only options. Truth be told, they hadn't really thought too much who she could be, just that she had to be a relation of some kind.

"He loved her, didn't he?" Hermione asked insightfully.

"Still does," Remus said quietly, looking at where his friend left.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, keeping her voice low, as if afraid to talk too loud, breaking the thick silence that had descended with the slamming of the door.

"She died," Remus said, not taking his eyes off the door, causing him to miss the utterly shocked glance between friends.

"What?" Harry asked. "How?"

"Death Eaters," Remus said, glancing down to his plate as he remembered that night once again. "It was her fifteenth birthday, she was two years younger than us, when they attacked the house. Lily had already gone home, her and Buffy were best friends..."

"Buffy?" Harry asked confused.

"It's a nickname she had since she was little, Sirius gave it to her," Remus said. "Anyway, her parents weren't home and James, Sirius, Peter and I were in his room when they just came out of nowhere. We put up a big fight and were getting the upper hand when they took her and ran."

"They took her?" Hermione asked. Maybe she wasn't as dead as they thought... "Why would they take her?"

"I don't know," Remus sighed. "Maybe they were under orders to kill her and they couldn't get close enough so they thought they'd kill her someplace else. Maybe leave the body somewhere as a message; the Potters were a big target of Voldemort for whatever reason."

"They didn't leave the body somewhere?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"No. The Ministry got wind of the amount of magic coming from a house with two students and they sent Aurors down. Since it was during the war, students were allowed to use magic during the summer to learn more spells and to protect themselves. Within reason, of course. By the time they arrived, the fight was almost finished. A couple Aurors followed the escaped Death Eaters but they were too late to save her."

"How do you know?" Harry asked, thinking about Peter Pettigrew's incident and what the map said.

"They brought back her body," Remus said with closed eyes.

The hope Hermione and Harry had been building up was destroyed with those words and confusion began to grow. How was she on the map if she was dead?

"All the Death Eaters were caught and put in Azkaban but it didn't matter. Buffy was dead. I'll never forget that night. The looks on their faces... James and Sirius were destroyed."

"Were they close?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Remus said. "We all were, except Peter. She never liked Peter." Remus gave a small snort of laughter at the irony. "She's the one that named us the Marauders; we dedicated the Marauders Map to her. Buffy was so upset when she was left alone for two years while we were at Hogwarts. She had grown up with James and Sirius, following them around and being prey to their jokes; although we learned quickly not to get on her bad side. She gave as good as she got.

"They had been going out for a while and they were pretty serious. When James found out his best friend had secretly been dating his baby sister... he was furious," Remus said with a smile, remembering the chase that ensued. "After they made up, Sirius had to be careful not to let James see him and Buffy together. James was fine with it, to some extent, but he was very protective of her. Sirius had made this beautiful phoenix pendant for her birthday... she had a thing for phoenixes."

"Was she an animagus too?" Harry asked when Remus lapsed into thoughtful silence.

"No," Remus said with a laugh. "James was so adamantly against the idea of even letting her know that we were, let alone letting her try and become one. 'It's too dangerous', he'd say. We probably could have used her help. She was one of the best students in her year, much like you, Hermione, although, she didn't spend quite so much time in the library; we wouldn't let her. Things seemed to come fairly easily to her and she was eager to learn new things, but she always had time to be had time for fun. She was even going to be a Prefect, which horrified James to no end. It was fairly amusing to see him teasing Buffy only to have a Head Boy badge fall out of his Hogwarts letter... "

"Did she play Quidditch?" Ron asked.

"Of course," Remus said. "She wanted to be seeker, her reflexes were amazing, but that was James' position so she was a Chaser. Not that she minded too much; she was one of the best Chasers I've ever seen. With those two Potters on the team, we never lost."

"If she was so well liked, how come we've never heard of her before?" Harry asked.

"Nobody likes to talk about it," Remus said, sobering up again. "Everyone liked her and it was quite a shock when she died. After that day, the Potter family broke apart. Losing a child is never easy and your grandparents were destroyed. Her father dedicated his life to defeating Voldemort and it wasn't long before he too was killed. Her mom died of grief shortly thereafter.

"It wasn't as if James was much help, either. He was too busy with his own vengeance streak. James and Sirius would lock themselves in his room for days at a time, planning some suicidal mission. Luckily I was able to talk some sense into them and when we went back to Hogwarts, life went back to, well, not normal exactly, but good enough for what we'd been through. We never talked about her; it just hurt too much."

"She was in Gryffindor?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Of course," Lupin said with a slight smile. "I have yet to meet a Potter not in Gryffindor. Actually, she once told me, no one else would understand mind you," Lupin whispered, "that the hat almost put her in Slytherin."

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Yeah, at first I thought she was just playing around, but she looked too upset for it to be a joke. I was almost put into Slytherin myself, seeing as how I'm a 'dark creature' and she wanted reassurance that that didn't make her a bad person. I understood. She said the hat told her she had power and she was afraid. There's no doubt that she was sly and cunning, but she had no intention of doing anything bad to anyone ever. I'm not surprised she was in Gryffindor, and not just because of her family's attachment to that house; she belonged there."

"So she never would've followed Voldemort?" Hermione asked thinking of another way the map could've been right.

"The day Buffy Potter became Voldemort's follower is the day I wouldn't turn into a werewolf under the full moon," Remus said.

"But you never thought Peter would," Harry said, catching on to Hermione's thinking.

"He was weak and cowardly, following whoever would give him power," Remus said. "Buffy had her own power and was strong enough and brave enough not to do something that stupid. She'd never take orders from anyone; it just wasn't her style. She had a good heart."

They sat in thoughtful silence for a while, wondering how on earth Buffy could've been on the map if she hadn't been alive. It didn't make any sense.

"She didn't turn into a ghost, did she?" Hermione asked.

"No," Remus said, looking at the three kids more clearly now. "What are you three up to? What's going on?"

"Nothing, we just want to know if we could see her," Hermione said. "You don't have a picture, do you?"

"No," Remus said, eyeing them carefully. "Where did you say you heard about her from?'

"Snape," Harry said quickly. "He said something vague, you know how he is."

"Right," Remus sighed, buying it for now. "He's just trying to get Sirius worked up again."

"I should probably go apologize," Harry said abashed.

"Later. Right now he needs to cool down and sort through his feelings. More things are coming to him the longer he stays away from Azkaban. Having nothing else to do all day, his thoughts overwhelm him and I'm willing to bet most of them center around her."

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"Anything?" Buffy asked, looking around the map with wide, hopeful eyes. They had found a different locating spell that might lead them to Remus and/or Sirius. If it worked.

"Nothing," Willow said with a sigh. "I don't understand. This should've worked through any magic guarding them. It's a very obsure spell!"

"It's okay," Buffy said softly.

"Maybe they're dead," Anya piped up. "That might be the reason they don't show up ever."

"I don't think that's it," Willow said with a frown and a glance at Buffy.

"They're not dead. They can't be dead. Let's just try again. Give me the book."

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It wasn't until Sunday that Harry got the opportunity to apologize. Hermione made them finish their homework while they were waiting for Sirius to calm down, although most of the time they spent talking about Buffy.

"How is it possible?" Hermione asked, frustrated.

"Maybe it was a fluke," Harry said. "They said they dedicated the map to her, so maybe she has a dot that just wanders the halls sometimes. You know, so they don't forget her."

"I don't know," Hermione said. "I think she's still alive. She'd be about thirty, right?" she asked. "Thirty-one?"

"Something like that, yeah," Harry said. "But I don't think she's alive. They brought back her body. It wasn't like Pettigrew," he said, not wanting to get his hopes up of having other family.

"That's true," Hermione said thoughtfully, "but it is possible to transfigure something to look like a body. It wouldn't be alive, which wouldn't be a problem if you're faking a death."

"If she's not dead, why wouldn't she have come forward earlier?" Harry asked. "Why would she wait sixteen years? Why would I have lived with the Dursleys for so long?"

"Maybe," Hermione said hesitantly, "because Voldemort had her death faked so he could mold her to his liking."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ron said.

"It's just a suggestion," Hermione huffed. "A very plausible suggestion from what evidence we have."

"Professor Lupin said that she would never join Voldemort," Ron said. "Or were you too busy concocting weird theories to pay any attention?"

"It makes sense. She had power, was almost put in Slytherin, and was a little afraid of what she might do. If the Potters were such big enemies against Voldemort, what better way to make them suffer than by turning one of their own against them?"

"No," Harry said. "Voldemort was gone for thirteen years, and not even heard of for ten. What happened to her then?"

"It's possible she stayed at a Death Eater's house," she suggested.

"But with all the raids and trials that went on?" Ron questioned. "I don't think they would've overlooked a dead girl."

"There are ways to conceal things," Hermione said weakly. "I mean, she could've been using Polyjuice potion or something."

"I doubt it," Ron said.

"It was just a theory," Hermione said. "I never said it was true."

"It was a good theory," Harry said. "I just don't want to believe it."

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"Sirius?" Harry called, knocking on his bedroom door where he'd been cooped up for about a day.

"Come in," a voice answered from inside.

Harry hesitantly opened the door and let himself in. He walked forward and saw Sirius feeding and petting Buckbeak in the other room. Upon approaching him, Harry bent down low and then came back up, waiting for Buckbeak to do the same before he walked forward to pet the creature.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Harry said. "I shouldn't have yelled."

"Remus told you?" Sirius asked quietly.

"Yeah," Harry said, avoiding looking at his godfather. "I'm sorry."

"It happened a long time ago," Sirius said. "I should probably be over it by now."

"I lost my parents and I'm not completely over it and I never really knew them. Plus, I doubt time in Azkaban helps clear your mind," Harry said.

"No, if anything, it made it worse. Some days I'd see nothing but that night, replaying over and over. I can still hear her crying for James."

"You really loved her, didn't you?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. I'm fairly certain she loved me, too," he said.

"You never thought about going out with anyone else?" Harry asked.

"No. We only had a year left at Hogwarts and then James and Lily got married. The threat from Voldemort was still strong and I wasn't in the mood to lose someone else. And then Halloween came and I got shipped off to Azkaban. I didn't really meet the nicest girls in there and I can tell you there aren't many women that want to date an escaped murderer. Plus, I kind of felt like I would be cheating on her, even though she was gone. A part of me just didn't want to believe it. I think that part still doesn't.

"I wish you could've met her," Sirius added after a moment of silence. "You would've liked her. You're like her in quite a few ways, especially since she was under the influences of James and Lily. She was impulsive and fun like James, but she was smart and imaginative like Lily. She had a way with words that was uniquely her own."

"She sounds nice," Harry said quietly, still petting Buckbeak.

"She was the best," Sirius answered.

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"She's a menace!" Umbridge screeched at Fudge Sunday evening. "Look at what she's doing! She's playing with your head! She's been doing it for months now!"

"She is doing no such thing, and I won't let you go back to work until you've gotten a grip on yourself," Fudge said.

"That's just what she wants, don't you see? She's controlling you!" Umbridge cried.

"That's enough," Fudge said.

"No! Just listen to me! Do you even know who she is? Where she came from before this? No one has heard of a Sarah Fox. She doesn't seem to exist and she certainly didn't work at the ministry before. In any department," Umbridge said.

"What?" Fudge asked, his mind becoming a little clearer.

"She's controlling you somehow; she never registered her wand, the guard barely remembers her, and she went up against the Malfoys! You would never let her do that unless she's been controlling you, getting what she wants."

"You've really been researching this haven't you?" Fudge asked.

"Yes, well, I've been out of a job the last two days; there's not much more for me to do except to bring the bitch down," Umbridge said. "She's ruining all our plans for Hogwarts, or haven't you noticed? We had Mr. Potter cornered and he was going to be expelled, and then she comes along. Every scrape he's gotten himself into, she's been there to brush it all away on some technicality or something. We're loosing our grip on the school and the situation! She must be stopped."

"Why didn't I see it before?!" Fudge said angrily to himself.

"She's been controlling you, sir," Umbridge repeated.

"Controlling the Minister of Magic. Even Dumbledore can't get her out of this scrape! She's going to have a lifetime sentence in Azkaban for this and I'll have to make sure Dumbledore goes in with her; it seems as though he's been behind this attack on me the whole time. Then you can have control of the school and the Potter problem will be solved quickly, I'm sure," Fudge said with a glance at Umbridge.

"Excellent, Minister. What's our course of action?"

"We must catch her unawares and do it in front of quite a few people so she can't get away. Accusing her and Dumbledore with plenty of witnesses around."

"Tomorrow at dinner?" Umbridge suggested viciously.

"Perfect. I want dementors waiting outside, but don't let them in. Merlin knows I don't want them around me, and I'm sure Dumbledore will be able to do something if they're in his precious school. I'll have fifteen Aurors walk in with me. Don't go to Hogwarts tomorrow; keep acting like nothing has changed. You're still out of a job. Hopefully she'll be blissfully unaware when we blast through the doors."

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"Are you all ready to go?" Sirius asked the three kids.

"Yeah," Harry said. He didn't want to go. Sure he wanted to go back to Hogwarts, but he felt bad about leaving Sirius again. Fortunately Remus had been staying with him. Ever since some mission he went on, Remus had been restricted to the house with Sirius. Perhaps it was for his own safety, but perhaps Dumbledore had wizened up and realized Sirius couldn't be cooped up in a house for too long. He was the trouble making type, not the sit still and do what your told type.

"Don't do anything too stupid," Sirius said. "Your mum would kill me if she knew you got expelled."

"I'll try my best," Harry said with a smile.

"Be careful," Remus said as the kids grabbed onto the portkey that would take them back to Hogwarts.

"Of course," Harry said with a cheeky grin before they disappeared.

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CHAPTER 34: NUMBER 12

"Sorry, Buffy," Willow said, watching her friend throw down the map in frustration.

"It's just... I'm... I know he's alive," Buffy said, fumbling with how to describe her feelings. "I know he's out there, somewhere; I just can't seem to find him!"

"If he is alive," Anya began, "he's obviously using magic to hide himself."

"We've been through this," Buffy said tiredly. "That's why we found this spell that should see through all magic."

"If the whole world is looking for him, don't you think someone would have tried that spell by now?" Anya explained. "He's using something more powerful; something that wouldn't fall apart under simple location spells."

"Of course!" Willow said. "If he's an escaped mass murderer, he's not going to let people find him. There might be all kinds of spells on him that protect him from other spells."

"But that much magic would have to leave a trace or a mark, right?" Buffy said. "Can you find any extreme amount of magic residue, Will?"

"I can," Willow said. "It might take me awhile, but I'll get it eventually."

"Why don't you go back to Hogwarts?" Giles asked. "It's getting late and you have class in the morning. You've been at this all night."

"Yeah, that's probably best," Buffy said. "Why don't you guys floo me if you have any news?"

"Floo? Oh, you mean the fireplace thing," Xander said with a shudder.

"But I thought you said we couldn't use that," Willow said, confused.

"You couldn't before because Umbridge was checking all the connections. Now that she's gone it'll be a lot more convenient. Safe, too," Buffy said.

"Somehow I can never get past the whole 'stepping into fire' part," Xander said. "That never screams safe to me."

"Safe as in you won't get caught," Buffy explained. "If no one's checking then no one cares."

"Great. I'll get started and you go get some rest, you look terrible," Willow said, shooing Buffy.

"Thanks, mom," Buffy said sarcastically.

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"You should probably ask for your map back tomorrow, Harry," Hermione said as they dropped their bags in front of the couches in the Gryffindor common room. "It's past curfew and you never know what she'll do."

"But I have to see if it's real. Maybe it was just a fluke, maybe she's not really here," Harry argued.

"I don't know why you just didn't tell Lupin you saw her on the map," Ron said, plopping unceremoniously on the couch.

"I couldn't," Harry sighed. "They all thought she was dead and if it turns out it was a fluke, I would've gotten their hopes up for nothing. Or, maybe it wasn't a fluke and maybe she really is alive."

"I don't see a problem there," Ron said.

"If she is alive, it's a Peter Pettigrew problem all over again," Hermione said, catching onto Harry's train of thought.

"Huh?" Ron asked through a yawn.

"If it's real, and they have a body buried for her, then someone obviously planted the body and raised her in the ways of the Death Eaters. She might be a traitor and we couldn't tell them that," Harry said. "Sirius loved her and so did Lupin. It'd kill them to know she's a follower of Voldemort. They think she's perfect."

"Right," Ron said. "That would be bad."

"And if she is alive, then you shouldn't be going to find her," Hermione said sternly. "She's probably here to bring you to Voldemort just like Crouch did last year."

"If I had the map, I'd know how to find her and stay away from her," Harry said, getting back on their original topic of discussion.

"Harry Potter, don't start with me!" Hermione lectured. "We've been best friends for five years now and we both know that if you have that map you'd go after her."

Harry sighed but didn't bother to argue.

"At least wait until morning, that way we can go with you," Hermione said sitting next to him.

That was unexpected.

Harry looked over at her with surprise written on his features.

"What?" she asked innocently. "I know you're going after her despite anything anyone says, so we might as well go with you. Besides, if she is evil, I'm not letting you fight her alone."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry said with a smile.

"Of course. That's what friends do," she said, a blush creeping up her neck. "Besides, it would look awfully suspicious if you went now and asked for a blank piece of parchment."

"I know, I just want some answers," Harry said. "Everything's always a mystery."

"But that's the fun of it," Ron said with a cheeky grin.

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Buffy was walking towards her room, intending to sleep for a very long while, at least until classes started in the morning. She turned the corner and saw the familiar portrait guarding her room.

Before she could reach it, a hand snuck out and grabbed her elbow, spinning her around and causing her to become slightly off balance by the surprise attack. She twirled around and smacked into a man's chest, hard but somewhat soft and warm. Buffy tilted her head up from the black robes and her lips turned up in a smile as she looked into a pair of dark eyes. "Sirius," she breathed.

"Buffy," he said with relief, his arms wrapping around her. "I knew it was you. Where have you been?"

"I've been looking for you," Buffy said, relaxing into his embrace.

"You haven't been looking hard enough," he said. "You should have found me by now."

"I have been," Buffy said, hurt coming over her features. "I've been looking everywhere! I've even got my friends to help me."

"They don't know me, how could they help?" Sirius asked. "You should know where to look."

"But I," Buffy said, only to be interrupted by Sirius.

"It's going to happen soon, you know. Are you ready?"

"Sirius, stop being so..."

"Serious?" Sirius joked.

"No," Buffy smirked. "Earnest. It doesn't suit you. Besides, you're scaring me," she said, nuzzling into his shirt.

"I thought it was essential to be earnest," Sirius said.

"It's important, yes, but not essential," Buffy said. "You're much more fun when you loosen up."

"How loose should I be?" Sirius asked with a smile.

"I'll let you know," Buffy said as his lips came down upon her own. The kiss the two shared quickly escalated and they found themselves wanting more from each other. Hands began to roam and clothes started to come undone.

"My room... is right... here," Buffy said as Sirius began kissing along her neck. The only response she got was a short grunt. "James," Buffy breathed, causing Sirius to stop what he was doing and look at her incredulously.

"I know you two were close but that was just disturbing," Sirius said.

"No," Buffy said with a smile. "It's my password." Buffy pointed to the picture of the lake that seemed to be in the middle of a storm. Waves crashed on the shore and the pier buckled under the force of the rain and waves. In a small little hut, a frowning boy and girl could be seen looking longingly out the window.

"Oh, good," Sirius said. "That's never happened to me before and I really didn't want to start with you."

"There's nothing else on my mind," Buffy said, reaching up for another kiss.

"How come I'm not your password?" Sirius asked, pulling back indignantly.

"I was in shock and he was the first thing on my mind!" Buffy said, rolling her eyes.

"Why weren't you thinking about me?" Sirius asked.

"Because I had just seen Harry, who happens to look exactly like James," Buffy said. "I can't even believe we're having this conversation!" she said suddenly, realizing what they were talking about.

"Well, I just want to know you're still my girl," Sirius said.

"As always," Buffy smiled. "Besides, you know James couldn't ever take me from you."

"Not that he hasn't tried," Sirius remembered unhappily.

"He's my brother, he's just looking out for me," Buffy defended. "The only thing you ever have to be is scared of him. You're dating his baby sister. Besides it being illegal, there is the whole ick factor," Buffy said, switching topics quickly, "and I think I will be sick the next time you even try to insinuate that again. I can't even say it myself."

"Can you blame me?" Sirius asked.

"He's my brother, you're my... "

"Lover?" Sirius suggested.

"Not yet," Buffy said with a sly smirk. "But we can fix that."

"You'll have to find me, first," he said while Buffy pulled him close for another kiss and they both backed up awkwardly into Buffy's chambers. However, when Buffy opened her eyes, Sirius was gone.

"Sirius?" she asked. Buffy turned around and noticed that she wasn't in her bedroom like she had thought. Instead, she was in a dark hall that looked vaguely familiar. It wasn't someplace she had been often, but maybe someplace she had seen once or twice in her life.

Knowing better than to call out in a dark, unfamiliar place, Buffy carefully and quietly walked down the hall, noticing a series of heads lined up on the walls. "House-elves," she breathed quietly. Voices from a room up ahead caused her to quicken her pace a little.

"He shouldn't have gone back to Hogwarts," a deep voice growled. "Not until we've eliminated this threat."

"I know, Alastor," another, more familiar voice answered wearily. "But there's nothing to be done."

"It's like asking for trouble. You know the boy's going to do something stupid."

'Moody?' Buffy thought. 'As in Alastor Moody, the auror?' He was here, wherever here was.

"Harry has good intentions," the tired voice answered. "He just isn't always the most observant of traps and people's intentions."

"That's what I've been trying to teach them all. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! They have to be prepared for anything."

"They seem to handle surprises fairly well. Much better than Sirius and I."

'Sirius?' Buffy thought wildly. 'It's Remus! That's where I've heard the voice before!'

"Where is he, anyway?" Moody asked. "I haven't seen him all weekend."

"He's been locked up in his room with Buckbeak," Remus said. "I think he's still sleeping."

'Buckbeak?' Buffy mouthed in confusion. Buffy was torn with what to do next. She could stay here and possibly see Remus and Moody or she could go and see Sirius. Buffy carefully backed away, not hearing the rest of their conversation. Wandering around a bit, she found the stairs and started up them. With every step she took, she became a tiny bit more familiar with the house. She knew where this was; she'd seen it before, but where?

Almost as if on autopilot, Buffy wandered down the halls and up the stairs, instinctually knowing she was going to Sirius' room. The door at the end of the hallway; it was there. He was in that room. Buffy's pace sped up slightly in anticipation. The thought of knocking flitted around briefly before she decided to forgo that and just barge right in. She grabbed the doorknob, took a deep breath in and turned.

As the door swung open, Buffy bolted upright in her bed at Hogwarts, breathing deeply, letting the sun from the window wash over her.

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At the same time, Sirius sat up in bed, once again dreaming about Buffy. Both times, she was at Hogwarts, making him wonder how Harry found out about her in the first place.

Sirius rushed down the stairs and barged into the kitchen, interrupting Remus telling Moody that Harry had found out that James had a younger sister.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked, sensing his old friend's distress.

"I had another dream," he said hurriedly. "I have to go to Hogwarts!"

"Wait, slow down," Remus said. "Why do you have to go to Hogwarts?"

"I think she's alive!" Sirius said. "I had another dream about her. Both times she's been at Hogwarts."

"Sirius," Remus said sadly. "She's gone, okay? She's not coming back. She's not at Hogwarts."

"But she is! I know it!"

"Have you ever had prophetic dreams?" Moody asked.

"No," Sirius said after a pause.

"Then how do you know she's at Hogwarts? Did you think you'd start now? Any seers in your family?"

"No," Sirius said again. "But I know she's there."

"I know you miss her and it's harder for you since you've been in Azkaban and things are finally coming back to you, but all those thoughts and feelings are just old feelings that have been repressed by the Dementors," Remus said. "It's happened to other people who've spent only a couple of months or a few years in there. You've spent twelve years in there so it's only natural that it takes a couple of years for the memories to flood back. And now with Harry finding out and all . . ."

"No, she's back," Sirius said again, only this time he was much less convincing.

"You can't go to Hogwarts anyway," Remus said. "The ministry officials are there, not to mention other students that wouldn't have a problem turning you in. You're still a wanted murderer and you can't go anywhere. I'm sorry."

"He's right. I was there that night, remember?" Moody said. "I saw them kill her and I couldn't do anything about it. All I could do is bring her body back to her family. Not that that was an easy task."

"That's right!" Sirius said suddenly. "You were there! You were the auror that brought Buffy back. Is there any way she could have escaped?"

"'Fraid not," Moody sighed. "They were taking her somewhere and they saw me coming. I guess they didn't think they'd be able to escape, the way she was kicking and screaming, so they killed her. I was too far away to do anything about it and then they disapperated, leaving the body behind."

"See?" Remus said to his old friend. He didn't like to see Sirius like this and he didn't want to cause his friend any more pain. Chasing after old memories wasn't going to help him any. It would only make the pain worse because he had gotten his hopes up.

"It was probably just a dream," Sirius consented sadly, walking out the door with his head bowed.

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Harry, Hermione and Ron arrived to DADA class early, hoping to ask Professor Fox about the map. Unfortunately, she didn't rush in until two minutes after class had already started.

"Stand up and move towards the side wall," was the only thing she said after she performed the ritual spells. The class did what they were told, staring at their disheveled and obviously bothered professor. With a flick of her wrist, all the desks disappeared and a nice blue mat covered the once hard floor.

"Pair up with people of approximately the same size and or skill level. You shall be dueling today using everything we've learned so far, both physical and magical defense. Get started and I'll be back later." With that said, Buffy walked out of class, leaving the students rather confused.

"Okay, what do we do now?" Ron asked Harry.

"I guess we'll have to wait until after class."

"We should probably pair up now," Hermione said, taking charge of the class now that the professor was gone. "We've done this before so maybe we should do something different. If we keep alternating partners, soon everyone will have dueled everyone, what do you think?"

There were several glances around the room and eventually plenty of nods in agreement.

"Let's get started," she said and the class began their dueling. It was actually a pretty fun class, one of the best they had, and members of the D.A. went around helping others if they needed it.

The minutes ticked away and yet Professor Fox still didn't show up to class. The double period class.

"I wonder what's happened to her," Neville said to Hermione.

"I don't know," she frowned. "She didn't look very well when she came in. Maybe she's ill."

"Maybe," Neville said, glancing once again at the door.

Everyone had gotten a really good session out of class and managed to have a fun time, so no one was too disappointed that Professor Fox didn't show up when the class ended. No one except Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Where is she?" Harry wondered.

"Maybe she is sick. We'll stop by her office later but right now we have to get to Potions," Hermione said, dragging Harry and Ron behind her.

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Buffy was not feeling well. She had just spent the last hour sitting in the bathroom splashing water on her face, trying to figure out what her dream meant. She woke up feeling disoriented, and late for class, and she just couldn't shake the feeling that something was really off. She had flooed Giles and told him the gist of her dream and the strange feeling she'd been having all morning. He told her he'd look into it and see if the day or the way the stars were aligned had any significant meaning.

She also asked whether Willow had any luck, but he sadly replied that her search for an intense magical area hadn't yelded positive results, causing Buffy to be even more frustrated.

No matter what Buffy tried to focus on, her mind still went back to Sirius. She could still feel his lips on hers... his hand running through her hair... .

"Stop that!" Buffy muttered quietly. "Focus. Possible apocalyptic feelings, strange dream. Where was Sirius? He was in his bedroom. With the bed... and the sheets... argh!" Buffy yelled, splashing more water on her face. "THINK! Where have I seen that house before? House-elves... kitchen... stairs..." Buffy started pacing, urging her mind to concentrate on the problem at hand; she closed her eyes to imagine herself in the dream again. "Stairs... went up... bedroom... Sirius was in his bedroom... his bedroom... Of Course!" Buffy said suddenly. "He was in his bedroom. His house! Brilliant! He's been hiding in front of everyone this whole time!"

Buffy ran out of the bathroom and rushed to her study, anxious to floo Willow. She had only been to Sirius' house once before and didn't remember where he actually lived. Her parents were out of town for the day and Sirius had invited James over to play (if he couldn't be at James' house, he wasn't going to be alone at his) and Buffy, by default, had gone with. She remembered hating that house, and the creepy house-elf heads, not to mention the live one.

It wasn't long before she was in her office talking to Willow, forgetting, in all the excitement, to shut her office door properly.

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"Come on," Harry said, rushing out of the hated Potions dungeon. "Maybe we can reach her before lunch."

"Assuming she's even in her office," Hermione said, racing after Harry.

The three students quickly made it to Professor Fox's office, but came up short by the sound of voices carrying through the slightly opened door.

"She has company," Hermione whispered. "Maybe we should come back later."

"Or we could stay and listen," Ron said as Harry crept closer to the door.

" ... can't remember his address but I know he has to be there," Professor Fox was saying.

"So you want me to find out where he lives?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"Or used to, yeah. There's bound to be a couple of spells on the house, something that wouldn't be too obvious that someone was hiding there, but something strong enough to hide him. He's an escaped murderer after all. Hundreds of people are looking for him," Professor Fox said.

"You don't think she's talking about..." Hermione asked with a look at Harry.

"So find the Black house and remove all the spells. Sounds simple enough," the new voice was saying.

"She is," Harry said, anger overwhelming him.

"But she can't get past the spell, can she?" Ron asked.

"No, only the secret keeper can give away the information," Hermione said. "He should be pretty safe."

"I'm coming with," Professor Fox was saying. "When we find him, I want to be there."

"I don't know if you should. I don't want to get your hopes up again. We've been looking for months now."

"I know, but this time I'm sure we're going to find him. Besides, you're going to need my help with whatever spell he has protecting him."

"Okay," the unfamiliar voice said slowly. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine. I've survived worse than this," Professor Fox said. "Let's go."

"I can't believe her!" Harry yelled, after hearing her floo out. "She's spent months trying to make me trust her and the whole time she's been trying to get Sirius, she probably wanted me to tell her where Sirius was! She can't find him! We can't let her find him!" Harry ran off suddenly, Hermione and Ron following.

There was no need to ask where they were heading. It was obvious to all of them that their only hope in this situation was to go to Dumbledore. He'd know what to do.

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"The Black family used to live at Number 12 Grimmauld Place before they all died or went to prison," Willow said, reading from the files she had magically hacked into. "Does that sound right?"

"Yeah, I think so. It was a really long time ago, but that rings a bell," Buffy said. "Are you ready?"

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"Master," Wormtail said, cowering at the feet of Voldemort, "it is finished. They have finished construction and initial examination. They only wait for you to test it."

"Excellent," Voldemort said, standing up. "It seems we might be busy tonight."

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"Come in," Dumbledore said upon hearing the incessant knocking on his door. He wasn't very surprised to see Harry, Ron and Hermione barge in, but it was their urgent manner that alerted him that something was not right.

"Professor!" Harry gasped. It seemed that they had run all the way up to his office, from wherever they had come from, and were completely out of breath.

"Take a deep breath, Harry," Dumbledore said calmly. "What's wrong?"

"Sirius... she's after Sirius... you can't let her... get him," he said, his breath slowly coming back.

"Who is after Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, although he had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly who it was.

"Professor Fox, sir," Harry said, confirming Dumbledore's suspicions. "We overheard her talking to someone... in her office. They said they knew where he was and that... there were some protection spells around him."

"She shouldn't be able to get to the house," Dumbledore said with a small frown. "That's the whole point of the spell."

"They acted like it might not be a problem," Hermione added helpfully.

"Please, Professor," Harry said. "You have to warn them. Tell them to leave the house. At least for a while. She can't get him."

"Very well," Dumbledore said after a moment of studying Harry. It was next to impossible for her to get to the house without his information, but stranger things had happened. Besides, Harry was still a little shaky around him and if anything happened to Sirius, Dumbledore didn't think Harry would ever forgive him. Dumbledore gave a nod towards one of the old Headmaster's paintings and the old man disappeared from the frame.

"Thank you," Harry said.

"I believe I can find a room to temporarily house Sirius and Remus," Dumbledore said. He waved his wand and a whole bookcase moved to reveal a small door. "They shall not be allowed to leave this room," Dumbledore said looking at Harry gravely. "And you may not visit them all the time. It wouldn't do to have Miss Fox find an empty house only to discover that they are sitting in Hogwarts itself."

"I understand," Harry said, nodding gratefully.

"I'm sure you'll want to spend some time with them, however, and you may do so at your leisure. Just use your judgment and don't be seen," Dumbledore said, a bit of his old twinkle returning to his eyes.

"Thank you, sir," Harry said again.

"Always a pleasure, Harry," Dumbledore said, just when Sirius and Remus appeared holding on to an old cup.

"Harry!" Sirius said happily. "Good to see you again!"

"You too, Sirius," Harry said with a smile. They hadn't been apart for more than a day and they were greeting each other like they hadn't seen each other in months.

"I guess I made it to Hogwarts, after all," Sirius said with a glance at Remus. One that Dumbledore didn't miss and didn't quite understand.

"As I have just finished telling them, you aren't allowed to leave your room," Dumbledore said, explaining that their mysterious Ministry employee had been searching for Sirius for several months.

"But they can't find the house unless you told them, right?" Remus asked.

"They shouldn't be, no, but Harry thought it was necessary to evacuate you, so I complied with his request," Dumbledore said. "You'll be staying here. Now, I think I shall leave you alone while I go eat some lunch." Before Ron could open his mouth to protest, Dumbledore swished his wand and caused a full plate of sandwiches and several goblets of pumpkin juice to appear on his desk. "I think these will fill you up," he said with a wink, leaving his office.

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CHAPTER 35: GRIMMAULD PLACE

Buffy, Willow, Xander, Anya and Giles appeared suddenly, and shakily, on the deserted streets of Grimmauld Place.

"Remind me why you insist on traveling like this," Xander said, picking himself off the ground.

"It's fast and cheap," Buffy shrugged. "You just have to get used to portkeys; they get easier with time. I think."

"So what house are we looking for, again?" Anya asked.

"Number 12," Buffy said, scanning the street. They were at the entrance to the subdivision, right in front of Number 1. "I really hope nobody saw us," Buffy said as she realized they were in plain view of the entire street in broad daylight. "Do English people do the whole Sunnydale thing or do they believe what they see?"

"It depends," Giles said. "Unless someone was avidly staring out their window at the exact spot we appeared from, they might believe it was a trick of the light of their lack of attention."

"Gotta love the Sunnydale syndrome," Buffy said, walking down the road, her friends falling behind her. "Are you picking up any magic residue, Will?"

"Yeah, but it's not as strong as I would've thought," she said.

"Well that's good, right?" Buffy asked happily, although everyone could hear the anxiety present in her voice.

"It should be," Willow said. They continued to walk past all the old houses that all looked the same. "I don't think I'm ever going to get used to this; it's like some weird twilight zone or something."

"The English are practical and don't feel the need for..."

"Individuality?" Buffy interrupted.

"Useless space," Giles answered, glaring at Buffy.

"So do they not feel the need for the number 12?" Xander asked, speaking up after he noticed the missing number.

"What the..." Buffy said, looking at the numbers. On her left, there stood Number 11. On her right stood Number 13.

"Where'd Number 12 go?" Anya asked.

"Do the English have a different counting system?" Xander asked.

"Well, they put all their numbers on the one side," Willow said. "We split our streets up even on the right side and odd on the left. Or odd on the right and even on the left, depending on which way you're going. Either way, we segregate our numbers," Willow said with pride before she fully realized what she said. "Oh. Hey, wait! Why do we segregate our numbers! We're supposed to be the land of the free and equality and all that, not that we really are, but we're getting better. Although I do have some bones to pick with the way we still treat..."

"Willow, off topic," Buffy said gently.

"Right, sorry," she said sheepishly.

"I don't understand..." Buffy said.

"Join the club. I'm president," Xander said. "You can be Vice President if you want, although I think Anya would probably like that so you could be treasurer or something, although Anya would probably like that too and I'm shutting up now."

"Thank the Lord," Giles said quietly, removing his glasses.

"The point is," Buffy said, interrupting any more discussion, "we can't get into a house we can't find. So, how do we find the house?"

"Well, I can feel the magic radiating off this place; not a lot, but enough to know a spell was cast," Willow said. "It feels like only one, but a strong one."

"Wow, she's really quite the smart one," Anya said, which only earned her a glare from Willow.

"A single spell," Buffy said, thinking to herself whilst the others bickered. "There are single spells all over the place! I mean, we have spells on the Leaky Cauldron to keep muggles away; only by knowing that it's there will you be able to see it. We have spells on some cars to make them speed right through other traffic, I mean, it looks like the buildings are being pushed away to make room for it. What am I missing?"

"Maybe they shrunk it," Anya suggested helpfully, tuning in to Buffy's muttering. "That's why you can't find it; everyone is really, really tiny," she said, beginning to look around the area between the houses.

"Ahn," Xander said, giving his girlfriend a look. "I don't think the neighbors want you peering in their bushes."

"Why not?" she asked. "It's not like I'm looking in their windows while they're having sex," she said. "The shades are drawn, the doors are locked, and it's not like I could've if I wanted to. Not that I would," she said defensively due to the stares she was getting. "I'm just saying if I wanted to. But I don't. Want to."

"Doors," Buffy said, a sudden memory deterring her attention. "Doors..."

"What about doors," Giles asked, thankful for the reprieve.

"It just reminded me about my dream," Buffy said.

"What happened in your dream?" Giles asked, intrigued.

"Sirius and I were standing in front of a door to my room," Buffy said.

"And?" Giles asked. "What happened?"

"Nothing. We were just talking."

"About what?"

"Um..." Buffy said, thinking back. "We were talking about... James! We were talking about James."

"And what about James?" Giles asked.

"No... not about James," Willow said remembering. "It's about James!"

"Wait. What?" Xander asked.

"It's not supposed to be about James the person, it's a reminder of James and what happened," Willow said excitedly. "Remember the vampire in the cemetery? We learned that when James and Lily went into hiding, they had..."

"... a secret keeper," Buffy said. "Of course. The only way for him to stay hidden from anyone is to have a Fidelius Charm performed! It would hide his actual location and deter anyone from using location spells to track him down. Remus must be the secret keeper; that's why we couldn't find him either! They're both in the house!"

"So how do we get into the house?" Xander asked.

"Well, normally only the people who are told the address by the secret keeper can find the house. I think," Buffy said. "Seeing as how we haven't been told, we can't find the house."

"So again, how do we get in the house?" Xander asked.

"That's where we come in," Willow said. "We should be able to break the spell using Wiccan magic. If we find a tiny flaw in the magic somewhere we'd be able to make the hole bigger and eventually break the spell."

"Why would there be a flaw?" Anya asked.

"If the spell's not done perfectly, which only a very, very powerful wizard would be able to do that, or if the secret keeper let a lot of people in on the secret," Willow said. "The more people that know, the more strain it will produce, causing little flaws to occur in the magical structure. Nothing noticeable, of course," she added. "Unless you're me."

"Seeing as how Sirius is a convicted murderer, I don't think a lot of people are in on the secret, so we'll have to go with option number one and hope that no one really powerful cast the spell," Buffy said. "And unless Remus gained quite a bit of power while I was gone, I don't think that's happening. I mean, he was good, he just wasn't flawless."

"Okay," Willow said, taking a deep breath, "this is going to take quite a bit of energy because we're breaking a magical barrier. I'm going to need everyone's help. If we stand in a circle and hold hands, I can use your energy to force the spell that much more."

"Don't you have all the power you need?" Anya asked, "Because I clearly remember you having all the power you needed and I don't fancy getting my energy sucked out of me."

"I don't want to go back to that place," Willow said with a nervous shudder. "I won't take too much, but it'll be enough from keeping me from using all of mine and digging deeper to use the darker supply. I'd rather let that sit for a very long time."

"You can use plenty of mine," Buffy said, grabbing Willow's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I've got enough to share."

"Thanks," Willow said. "I'll also need you to help me look. We've been working on wandless magic for several months now, but it's only been a little at a time. Don't get me wrong, you're progressing at an amazing rate, but wandless magic is a little more tiring and takes more concentration that wand magic, so you'll have to be really careful. Remember what happened our first lesson."

"Right," Buffy said. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. We have been working on it almost every night, like you said."

Willow gave her a last worried look before nodding and grabbing Xander's hand. Xander in turn grabbed Anya, who grabbed Giles, who held on to Buffy, and soon they were in a circle focusing their energies. Willow could feel it all flowing into her and she opened her mind to the small empty space between Number 11 and Number 13 where Number 12 should've been. She could feel the magic pulsing around her and she began to see the magical barrier that kept the house hidden.

After a couple minutes of prodding and probing, Willow was able to "see" the house beneath the magical shell. Buffy and Willow worked together, their minds in synch, and look over the bluish shell in front of them. It wasn't too hard to find a flaw and Buffy found it much easier than she had anticipated. Perhaps Willow was just hyping it up trying to prepare her. It seemed that the wizard hadn't cast a perfect spell, although in reality it was just that too many people knew.

Buffy and Willow magically worked to make the little flaw into a small hole. It was kind of like undoing a sweater in one's mind. They saw the loose thread and they started pulling, creating a tiny empty space. They tried to pry their "fingers" into the hole, pulling it to widen the hole. The two of them began to deplete their magical sources; the strain was too much as the "shield" was "tightly woven." Buffy and Willow pulled on the energy from their friends and we finally able to gain the power to rip open the generous hole, tearing the shield in two and destroying the spell.

Everyone opened their eyes and began breathing heavily, their energies temporarily drained. It didn't take long to notice the appearance of Number 12 Grimmauld Place right between Numbers 11 and 13.

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Dumbledore was sitting in his office, Remus and Sirius in their room while the trio ran off to class, when he felt something odd pulling at him. It didn't really hurt but it was a sense of some discomfort for him. Over the next half and hour, the sense of discomfort began to grow. It seemed like he was struggling to hold himself together.

It had to be Professor Fox working her magic, but he couldn't believe how she was doing this. How could she get through his spell? Dumbledore concentrated hard, trying to resist the tearing he could feel; he was trying to repair the damage but, much to his amazement, it wasn't doing much good. How powerful was this woman and her friend? Who was she?

That was all Dumbledore could think before he felt a last surge of energy and the final ripping of the connection. They had destroyed the Fidelius Charm; something that has never been done before.

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"Looks like you did it," Xander said, breaking the silence.

"We did it," Buffy said.

"I wonder if they know the spell's gone," Anya said.

"I don't know, but I hope not," Buffy said.

"Perhaps it would be best if we hurried along," Giles said. "I don't think it would be wise to dawdle."

"You're right," Buffy said with a deep breath. "We're going in." This is what she had been waiting for. She was finally going to see Sirius again... for real, anyway. Buffy could hardly contain the emotions inside her. She was worried about what he'd say, afraid of what he might do, happy that she'd see him, anxious to see his reaction... this was it.

"Should we knock?" Willow asked as Buffy walked up to the door.

"Guess not," Xander said as Buffy used her magic, which was harder than she would have imagined after that spell, causing the door to swing wide open.

"We don't want to alert them," Buffy said quietly.

"Of course not," Xander said. "We'll just break into their magically sealed house and surprise the nice wizards with pointy wands and hope they don't kill us."

Buffy ignored Xander and crept quietly down the hallway, the others following close behind. "There aren't any heads," Buffy noticed, not knowing how Sirius removed them all during his house cleaning.

"Normally I'd take that as a good thing, but you seem to be taking it as a bad thing," Xander said. "Why?"

"There were heads in my dream."

"Right. And moving on."

'Kitchen,' Buffy mouthed, feeling a sense of unease creeping about her. She stepped up close to the door and gently pushed her way through, hoping not to startle anyone too much. She snuck in and then her heart stopped fluttering briefly as she saw no one else. She opened the door wider for her friends and looked around the place. "Someone's here," she said quietly, pointing to the still warm bowls of soup on the table.

Buffy moved out and began to search the rest of the house, her heart pounding wildly. She followed the path in her dream, going up the stairs and to the door, ignoring the growing agitation she felt. She walked towards it while her friends searched the other floors. She hadn't heard any screams or any scuffles, so she figured they hadn't found him yet. He had to be in his room.

Buffy stepped in front of the door and stared at it before hesitantly lifting her hand and knocking. After getting no response, she grabbed the door knob. "Sirius?" she called quietly, turning the door in front of her. "Sirius?" She stepped inside the room, looking around carefully. "Sirius?" she called again, her adrenaline pumping when she didn't get any answer. "Sirius?!" she yelled, wanting so badly for him to be there and the chase to be over.

Buffy raced through the room, noticing the clothes that littered the floor and the sheets that lay tangled on the bed. She checked the bathroom and found no one there and then frantically tried another door, freezing when she saw a giant creature staring back at her. "You must be Buckbeak," she said, remembering the conversation from her dream.

The beast that was a strange hybrid of bird and horse snorted at her, making Buffy quickly decide to leave the room. "Good animal thingy," she said, shutting the doors again.

Turning around, she remembered the reason why she was here in the first place and her heart rate jumped up dramatically. Where was he? He was supposed to be here! Running out of the room and down the stairs, Buffy raced back to the kitchen, unknowingly mimicking Sirius' movements from earlier that morning.

"Sirius?" she yelled out, wanting so badly to find him. She was tired of the game she was constantly playing. She just wanted to be held and kissed and loved again. She wanted everything to be okay. "Sirius? It's me, Buffy! I'm alive!" she called out desperately. "Sirius! Please come out!"

She made it back to the kitchen close to tears. She finally acknowledged the uneasiness that had been gnawing at her since she stepped foot in the house. Sirius wasn't here. The house was empty. "I don't understand," she said slowly after dejectedly pushing the kitchen door open. "They were right here... where are they?"

"I don't know," Willow said, hurting for the palpable pain of her friend.

"They were supposed to be here. He was supposed to be here and everything was going to be okay again," Buffy said.

"I know," Willow said.

"Where'd they go?" she asked like a lost little girl.

"I don't know," Willow repeated.

"I'm tired of not knowing!" Buffy yelled suddenly, her anger rising to the surface. "I'm tired of hiding! I'm tired of being in the dark! I'm tired of being alone! I'm just tired! I don't know who to trust or what to do or where to go! I don't know if I'm doing the right thing or if I'm falling into someone's trap! I don't know where Sirius is and I don't know how to find him! I'm tired of not knowing!" Buffy sobbed, throwing the bowl of soup against the wall.

Everyone in the room jumped and covered their ears as a giant wailing began to reverberate around the house. It seemed Buffy's loud screaming and the subsequent crashing of the bowl was enough to wake up Mrs. Black.

"What the hell is that?" Xander yelled, trying to be heard over the loud noises.

"I don't know!" Buffy growled, her hands over her ears. Buffy stalked out of the kitchen, trying to follow the noise to its source. "Shut up!" she yelled as she saw a wizard painting was the source of the noise.

"FILTHY MUDBLOODS... TRAITORS!" it screamed. "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

Buffy could feel her anger rising inside of herself. It was bubbling over and mixing with her grief. "STOP YELLING!" she screamed at the painting.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! TRAITORS!" the painting screamed again.

Buffy grabbed onto the picture frame, intending to rip it off the wall; unfortunately, all she got for her trouble was sore hands and louder yelling. Buffy then saw the curtains that seemed to be covering it at one point in time, but she yanked too hard and the shreds were left in her clenched fists.

"SHUT UP!" Buffy yelled again, the screeching becoming too loud for her as she covered her ears with her fists. The pain and anger and grief that were building suddenly erupted in the form of magic, causing the painting to explode off the wall. Bits of plaster and painting rained down in the blissfully quiet hall.

"Emotional control!" Willow said anxiously. "Emotional control!"

Buffy tried to calm down as Willow came over and did her best to help. Buffy actually felt much better after the explosion; it must have released a lot of the tension inside her. Although she was probably just exhausted from all the wandless magic she had done in such a short time.

"Well, it seems we have a solution for unsticking superglue," Xander said.

"Do you think we could market that?" Anya asked.

"Are you okay?" Willow asked when she saw Buffy was much calmer, although her hair and clothes were more disheveled and she was covered in plaster.

"I'm tired," Buffy said. "I just want to go home."

"Okay," Willow said comfortingly, wrapping her arms around Buffy, "We can go home."

"Now which home does she mean?" Anya asked. "The apartment or Hogwarts because I'm not giving up my bed."

"She can sleep with me," Willow said. "But not... with me," Willow added at the looks she received. "We're best friends. Nothing more."

"Oh, you've used that line with me many a times before," Xander said jokingly, remembering their kisses.

"I think it would be best if she stayed with us tonight," Giles added. "I don't really fancy her going back to Hogwarts in this state. It was bad enough we couldn't find Sirius, I doubt it would be much help to be alone."

"Couldn't find Sirius," Willow whispered to herself. "But we can!" she said suddenly, striking upon a very important thought. "Sirius was hidden here because of the spell. Now the spell's gone and he doesn't have anywhere else to hide! A simple tracking spell will help find him now."

Willow quickly conjured up a map and the necessary supplies while Buffy perked up slightly. She didn't want to get her hopes up too high in case nothing came of it. "I've got something," she said, looking at the blinking red dot on the map. "They're somewhere up north."

It didn't take too long before Willow was narrowing the search down with smaller and smaller maps, however, she got stuck before she could pinpoint an address.

"They're in the middle of nowhere," Giles said, reviewing the maps in front of him. "No streets go up there, no towns or cities, I would assume no people. It looks like they're just waiting in the woods."

"Or someplace else really far north," Buffy said, a twinkle returning to her eyes. "Someplace that wouldn't be anywhere near muggles."

"You think they're at Hogwarts?" Willow asked.

"They might be," Buffy said.

"But why would they go there?" Giles asked.

"They know the school better than anyone else," Buffy said, hope beginning to return to her voice. "If they wanted somewhere to hide quickly, I'll bet they went there. They could be in a dozen places in that school."

"Do you have the map with you?" Willow asked.

"No, it's at the school. I can't remember where I put it," Buffy said.

"Why don't you go get it?" Willow said. "Go to the school, find Sirius and Remus and if they're there then take them back to the apartment so we can meet them," Willow said encouragingly. "We'll be waiting."

Buffy's lips quirked up in the beginnings of a smile, and she quickly hugged Willow before turning into a beautiful phoenix.

"Aghh!" Xander said. "I keep forgetting she can do that! It's rather disturbing."

Buffy trilled a couple of notes at Xander, warming his being and casting all dark thoughts aside.

"And also very cool," he added, feeling much lighter and happier. Buffy herself was feeling the phoenix's healing affects. Her spirits lifted and she began to feel rejuvenated. She really loved phoenixes!

"Good luck," Giles said.

"Bring home the hotties!" she cried out before Buffy disappeared silently. "What?" she asked innocently.

"Bring home the hotties?" Xander asked looking at Willow amazed. "That's almost as bad as 'That's right big boy, come and get it,'" Xander said, flashing back to their summer slaying experience.

"I never said that," Willow said, blushing slightly.

"You did too," Xander said.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Oh, do shut up."

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"It seems that Harry was right," Dumbledore said.

"They broke the spell?" Remus asked incredulously.

"Yes, about a half and hour ago. It was quite an interesting experience," Dumbledore said, "although it was quite tiring."

"How is that possible?" Sirius asked.

"I'm not quite sure," Dumbledore said. "I've never heard of anything like that before and I've never experience it, either. I'm not too fond of it, actually."

"What are we going to do?" Remus asked. "If she's that keen on getting Sirius..."

"I believe you are quite safe here, for the time being. Just stay out of sight and we'll come up with something," Dumbledore said getting ready to leave. "Someone's going to the house in a little while, trying to see what exactly happened."

"Do you think I could go with?" Remus asked.

"I thought you might ask," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye. "You can join Moody as soon as Professor Fox gets back to Hogwarts."

"Thank you," Remus said.

A little bell went off somewhere in the outer office and Dumbledore turned back to Remus. "It seems as if she's back already. Quite disappointed, I'm sure."

"What was that?" Remus asked.

"A signal I just set up to let me know when she returned back to her office," Dumbledore explained. "I believe you can floo if you hurry."

Remus hurriedly left the room and headed for the fireplace, while Dumbledore left his office to go attend other business, leaving Sirius alone in his room. Sirius changed into his animal form and waited briefly to make sure that Dumbledore was gone before he snuck out of the room he had promised to stay in. He had a painting to find.

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Buffy had just appeared in her office, making sure not to make too much noise, or land on anything. She quickly changed back and began searching the papers on her desk for the map she had taken from Harry.

She was in the process of frantically removing all the papers from her desk when the door opened. Buffy whipped out her wand and pointed it at the person staring back at her. "Oh, Harry, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised to see her nephew.

"I trusted you," Harry spat. He had been waiting outside her office ever since the last class got out. People were already congregating in the Great Hall for dinner, Hermione and Ron included. "I trusted you and you were just using me for information."

"What?" Buffy asked, halting her search for what looked like a spare bit of parchment.

"For months now you've been doing things for me, trying to make me gain your trust so I'd tell you something or I'd let slip that I knew where someone was. You weren't doing anything for me... I was all just a part of your plan. I was a tool!"

"Harry, I have no idea what you're talking about," Buffy said, confused.

"Don't," Harry snapped. "Don't try and trick me again. It's not going to work. I know your tricks and I'm not falling for them again. I trusted you and you lied to me. You betrayed me. To think I was starting to like you... I hate you," he said.

Buffy was speechless for a moment, not understanding what was going on. "Harry, it's true, I have been trying to gain your trust, but not because I wanted anything from you. Well, I didn't want information from you. And I would never betray you. I have no idea what you're talking about or why you think that I did, but I didn't. The last time I saw you was when you were about to get expelled. I'm sorry if I saved you from that fate; I didn't know you wanted to be expelled."

"Prove it," Harry said, figuring he could use her guilt to his advantage. "Prove to me that you didn't betray me." He didn't know what was going on, why she wasn't confessing and why she looked genuinely confused, but he couldn't take another risk. Not with Sirius on the line.

"How?" Buffy asked, her eyes narrowing slightly at his tone.

"Where's that piece of paper you took from Umbridge?" Harry asked. "I need it back."

Buffy froze. She couldn't give him back the map for several reasons. One, she didn't want him to find out who she really was and two, she really didn't know where it was. "Why?" she asked, stalling for time.

"Hermione invented an invisible ink that can only be revealed with a certain thing," Harry said. "We were going to test it but Umbridge took it before we were able," Harry lied, having already made up this part. "She's really upset about it."

"Get a new piece of parchment," Buffy said.

"She used all the ink," Harry countered. Did she know what the map was for? If she did, she'd surely see Sirius and Remus in Dumbledore's office.

"Well that wasn't very smart, was it?" Buffy asked. "I hope she took detailed notes. She might have to be remaking it."

"Why? I just want the paper," Harry said.

"I don't know where it is," Buffy admitted. "I put it down somewhere and I can't remember where."

"Fine, I'll help you look," Harry said, walking up to the desk and pushing around papers. Even if she did know what it was, she couldn't have known how to work it. Buffy was about to open her mouth to object when Harry said, "You're proving, remember?"

Buffy clenched her teeth angrily and shoved a pile of papers at him, mostly homework assignments and essays, some graded, some not. "Fine," she hissed. "I'll go look in the closet." Buffy stomped over her now very messy office and yanked open the door to the closet, expecting to find some messy shelves.

What she found was worse.

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CHAPTER 36: DINNER AT HOGWARTS

Remus and Moody arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, surprised to see it in standing between Numbers 11 and 13 without popping up from nowhere.

"I didn't believe it at first," Remus said with a shocked look. "I thought it was a mistake, possibly a very bad joke, but it seems she really did it."

"If she did, then we're dealing with a very powerful witch," Moody said. "We need to find out her motivations and stop her before she does any more damage. No one's inside, let's go."

Remus and Moody walked up the stairs and into the house in which used to house their headquarters. Remus quietly opened the door, not wanting to wake up Mrs. Black, and was shocked to stumble over debris when he took his first step. Did she destroy the inside of the house?

His loud fall caused enough noise to have woken up Mrs. Black and he prepared himself for the noise that never came. He looked up and lit his wand, illuminating the gaping hole in the wall where Mrs. Black's portrait once hung.

Standing up and brushing himself off, Remus glanced around everything else, noticing that the debris he tripped over must have come from the apparent explosion from the wall.

"How did she do that?" Moody asked, surprised. "We've been trying for months to get that thing off! We used every spell, explosive ones included!"

"You said she was powerful," Remus muttered, continuing on through the hall. "Personally I think we should be thanking her for that small miracle," he said.

"Thank her all you want after she throws Sirius back in Azkaban," Moody said following him to the kitchen.

"It looks like they've searched the place," Remus said with a general glance around, noticing opened doors and pulled back bookshelves.

"Apparently she wasn't happy with the lack of results," Moody said, pointing out the soup dripping from the wall and the shattered remains of the bowl on the floor.

"Good," Remus said. "Nothing else really seems to be missing or out of place. I don't get it. One would think that she'd be a little more through in her search, try to find out where he went."

"Maybe she's not that smart," Moody said.

"She got this far," Remus said with a frown. "She's proven herself entirely capable."

"Maybe she did get a lead," Moody suggested, "found something that she thought was significant."

"Or maybe she's even smarter than we think and she already found him," Remus said with a significant look at Moody.

"She's already back at Hogwarts, right?" Moody asked.

"Back in her office," Remus confirmed, his eyes widening with sudden realization, "with the map that she took from Harry the other day!"

"The map?"

"The map that shows everyone in the school!" Remus said. "She knows Sirius is at Hogwarts! We have to get him out!" It didn't take long for Moody and Sirius to portkey back to Hogwarts in Dumbledore's office.

To their surprise and horror, Sirius was not in the office or in the room that Dumbledore had procured for them.

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Sirius was currently sniffing around the school, after having picked up a slightly familiar scent in Dumbledore's office, that wasn't Harry's. It was fairly recent but was obscured slightly by several others, some new and some old. Fortunately, dogs had an amazing sense of smell and he was able to track it down the stairs and out of the office.

Sirius had been a dog in Hogwarts before so he was used to the barrage of smells that attacked his senses, but it was a little difficult to keep track of just one of them, especially since it seemed to be pulling him in different directions, which would make sense since she traveled all over the school.

The question was, which way did he go?

Thinking it through, while the halls emptied fairly quickly as everyone headed off to dinner, he decided to pick a way and follow it for a while. He knew he needed to head to rooms somewhere, so heading off to the library or the Great Hall wouldn't help him much. Plus he didn't want to get recognized, dog form or not.

It didn't help that Sarah Fox was back in the building, either.

After several minutes of searching and contemplation, Sirius seemed to get a solid scent and the hallways began to look eerily similar to the ones in his dreams. He knew he had to be getting close.

As the scent he was following seemed to suddenly go in several directions, Sirius was sure it had to be here, because every time she exited her room, a new scent would be created. He transformed out of his dog form, aware that there weren't too many paintings down this hallway so it was unlikely he'd be recognized.

Just as he had expected, there was a picture of a lake. Strangely enough, the sky was cloudy and rain pelted down, just like in his dream. "James," Sirius said after a moment's pause. As the door opened, Sirius let out an unbelieving breath.

He had never been one for prophecies or divination and now here he was, following a dream that, so far, had turned out to be impeccably right. It was eerie.

Sirius stepped into the room, cautiously looking around for any signs of Buffy. It didn't look like anyone was in the room but he could still find proof that she lived here. Then Remus would have to believe him and they could find her.

Sirius shrugged and began rifling through files and drawers, trying to find something useful, but all he could find were a couple of textbooks and other random books; it didn't look like she had very many personal items in the room. Sirius strode diligently over to the bedroom and opened the door, thinking that he was more likely to find something there.

He stopped in amazement as he saw a beautiful, rather young looking, phoenix sitting on the bed preening its feathers. "Buffy?" he asked softly, remembering how she had been able to transform into a phoenix. Down in his heart, he knew it wasn't her, knew it wasn't the same phoenix he had seen so many times before, but he had just wanted to hope.

That hope was dashed when the bird stopped preening and turned its head sharply to look at him. Sirius was confused because phoenixes were extremely rare, but the one on the bed wasn't Fawkes and it wasn't Buffy, so that meant it had to be another one, which was very strange.

Where in the world did Buffy find another phoenix? The only one he had ever heard of was Fawkes and he was sure that if there had been another one somewhere, word would have gotten out quickly. It was very strange.

Glancing to the side, Sirius noticed what looked like an overturned photograph lying on the bedside table. Walking over, the bird watching him the entire time, Sirius bent over and picked up the picture. He felt some shock at seeing the old photograph of James, Remus, him and Buffy, but hope began to rise again. It had to be Buffy! She had to be staying in this room! She was at Hogwarts the whole time... right under their noses.

Sirius didn't know if he should've gone to get Remus or wait for her to return back to her room. After thinking it through for a couple of minutes, with the bird studying him, Sirius decided to go for a third option. He was going to follow her scent and try to find her now. He knew she was alive, he knew she was at Hogwarts and he knew she was within reach... sitting still and waiting was not a valid choice; he had to do something.

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Willow, Xander, Anya and Giles all made it back to their apartment and collapsed on the couches. "Do you think she'll find him?" Willow asked.

"I hope so," Xander said, pulling Anya closer. "She deserves a little happiness. I want our perky Buffy back."

"When do you think they'll be back?" Willow asked after a minute of thoughtful silence.

"I bet they're off having sex," Anya said bluntly. From the stares she then received, she added, "What? Do you really think that after being away from each other for that many years, the first thing they're going to do is meet the friends? They're having sex."

"Maybe not," Willow said half-pouting.

Any other retort was cut off by the sudden arrival of Faith, who looked very harried and ready for battle.

"Faith! What are you doing here?" Willow asked, surprised by the appearance of the rugged girl in the middle of their living room.

"I got the portkey B gave me," Faith said. "We've been attacked and we need more help. So grab a weapon and let's go."

"But what about Buf-" Willow asked.

"There's no time," Faith interrupted. "We have to go now! We're holding them off for the moment, but we're gonna need some magical help to keep them back."

"Okay," Willow said.

"This thing only works twice, so everyone hold on," Faith said, holding out the old stake Buffy had used. "Slayer Headquarters!" Faith yelled, causing a tug to pull on everyone's navel.

When they opened their eyes again, the gang found themselves trapped inside a room with too many windows and doors, demons and vampires of all varieties pounding to get in.

"Oh my goddess," Willow breathed, shocked at the shear number of demons.

"Good Lord," Giles said, picking up his weapon of choice and brandishing it well.

"Let's get to work, Red," Faith said.

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Dumbledore was sitting at the Head Table, enjoying a wonderful meal the house elves had prepared, and was chatting quietly with Professor McGonagall. Professor Fox had yet to show up for dinner, which didn't go unnoticed, and Dumbledore wondered what she could be up to. It never occurred to him that chaos was about to be let loose in his school.

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"What the hell?" Buffy asked, staring into green eyes that were startlingly familiar. The first thing that ran through her mind was that the First was back, wanting revenge for the demise of its plans; however, the fist that came out of nowhere and slammed into her face caused all of those thoughts to disappear. The shock of the attack and the force of the punch caused Buffy to stumble back, loosing her balance and causing her to be vulnerable to the next attack.

Harry looked over at Buffy's explicative and was shocked to find two Professor Foxes standing in front of the closet. The both looked exactly alike, from the clothes they were wearing down to the posture and hairstyles. Harry couldn't find any words to express the confusion he was feeling and he was even more speechless when one of them attacked.

Possible explanations flashed through his head, the most likely being that she ran into a boggart in the closet, but it didn't make sense that her worst fear was herself. Why would she be afraid of herself?

Then Harry thought back to the previous year when Mr. Crouch had kidnapped Moody and had stored his body in the trunk for a year, using polyjuice potion to keep up his appearance. Could Professor Fox be doing the same thing? It made some sense, but the double didn't look haggard at all, unlike the real Moody had.

As the fight continued, Harry had no idea which person to trust, which person to help, which person was the real one.

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To say she was shocked was an understatement, as Buffy was not prepared to deal with a double of herself walking out of her office closet. The thing attacked her, catching her off guard and causing her to stumble. Before she could gain her balance again, the thing came at her again. And again. Each punch was forceful and painful. The thing was relentless, not letting Buffy defend herself in any way.

Finally, after rolling over her own desk, Buffy did a flip kick, allowing her to get back onto her feet. "What the hell are you?" Buffy asked as the thing came around the desk. She didn't even notice Harry standing off to the side, watching with a dazed look on his face.

"I think the question is, what the hell are you?" the thing asked, preparing to hit her again.

Buffy dodged the punch and threw one of her own that was too easily blocked. Buffy felt like she was trying to hit steel, her arm was in so much pain. Buffy pushed aside all other thoughts as she concentrated solely on trying to beat this thing, whatever it was. It was almost as if she were fighting Caleb again, only, if it was possible, the Buffy copy was stronger.

As was proved by the kick that caused Buffy to fly across the room and slam into the door of her office... no, she didn't slam into the door... she slammed through the door, causing wood splinters to explode outward.

While Buffy was rolling backwards from the blow, Harry decided that it would be best if he stunned both of the Professors and then brought them to Dumbledore. Happy to finally have thought of a plan, Harry pointed his wand at the one still in the office and tried to stupefy her. Much to his amazement and bewilderment, the spell just bounced of the figure, coming back to hit him square in the chest, knocking him out.

The double walked calmly through the door towards Buffy, who lay still on the floor, trying to catch her breath and recover from the hit. "Please don't tell me the Terminator movies are real," Buffy muttered as she saw the thing still advancing. "Although after all I've seen I shouldn't be surprised."

Buffy quickly jumped up and tried to defend herself from the creature but was only successful in getting hit a couple more times for her trouble. With every hit she took, Buffy stumbled back, loosing ground to the double; they were quickly moving away from the office door.

As she took yet another brutal hit that caused her to fly back down the hall, Buffy decided that she really needed to focus if she was going to beat this thing. She needed to be more offensive and less defensive, so she got up and collected herself as the thing came closer. "Okay, no matter how hard you hit me, no candy's going to come out, I promise," Buffy said, preparing herself.

Like she expected, the thing just kept coming closer, and then they started to fight. The first couple of moves on Buffy's part were still a little off, as she was trying to test the creature's style... besides excessive face punching. It didn't take long before it escalated rapidly, each move getting faster, each kick connecting harder, each punch causing more pain. If she just concentrated hard enough, and kept from being hit, Buffy could keep up with the thing's pace. She could hold her own, but she didn't know how long she could.

Buffy attempted to punch, but the thing sidestepped her and grabbed her arm. Buffy reached her free arm back and pulled on the blonde hair with such force that she was able to flip the thing over her. When Buffy pulled her hand back, blonde tendrils were wrapped around her fingers. She didn't have time to think as the creature attempted to knock her down, but was used to reacting on instinct and she jumped over the feet coming at her.

The battle continued down the hall and Buffy had no idea how she was going to defeat the creature; it took a centuries old Slayer scythe to kill Caleb and she had to slice him in half too! Right now, Buffy was weaponless and already worn out due to the magic she had already expended earlier that evening. As Buffy ducked under a punch coming her way and twisted up to kick the thing in its face, she spied her saving grace. The suits of armor that decorated the halls.

Getting away from the thing was going to be a challenge, as grabbed her ankle and yanked her forward, making her fall on her face. Buffy quickly shook off the stars that accompanied the impact, and kicked her free foot behind her again and again, hitting the thing's face each time. "You're like the double from Hell!" Buffy grunted as she saw her efforts weren't making much of an impact. "Even Faith reacted a little. Get. Out. Of. My. Body." Buffy said, accenting each word with a kick. Finally, the double had had enough and it's grip loosed on her foot.

Buffy scrambled up and away, racing to the other end of the hall. "My knight in shining armor," Buffy said, surprised to see the headless suit in front of her. "Sorry," she said, lifting the sword out of its hands. "You won't be needing it anyway."

Buffy turned around, swinging the sword experimentally in her hands, getting a feel for the weight and balance of it. "So you can take a couple of hits to the face; it only proves you have a hard head; let's see how you like holes poked into it."

The double suddenly had a sword in its hand, one that Buffy could have sworn wasn't there before she blinked. "Okay, what are you?" she asked.

"I am you," the double said, swinging her sword at Buffy. Buffy quickly lifted her sword up and blocked the deadly blow.

"I'd really appreciate it," Buffy said through the exertion while the double was forcing her sword down, "if you'd stop... being... me!" With the final word, Buffy gathered her strength and forced the sword back up and away from her body.

And so the swordfight began. Buffy felt like she was fighting herself... which she was... but only with better technique and more power behind the moves. The speed and intensity of the fight began to wear on her. Yet again did she swing her arm overhead, yet again did she jump over the low aimed sword, yet again did she push off the wall, yet again did she parry the sword's sharp edge.

The double finally got the upper hand, twisting the swords in a way that trapped Buffy's wrist, and then using her free hand to punch her face. Buffy lost her grip on the sword and winced as it tumbled to the ground. Another well placed roundhouse kick made Buffy stumble farther from the weapon. The double picked up the exhausted Buffy by the throat and began to suffocate her.

"You are worthless," the double said, throwing the purple faced Buffy back with a simple gesture. Buffy slammed into the door, causing the doors to open from the impact. Buffy tumbled head over heels into the Great Hall, unaware of the resulting gasps and movement from the surprised students.

Buffy lay on the floor coughing, trying to get the precious air back into her lungs. Students scrambled from their seats and raced to the opposite side of the hall, towards the protective professors.

Buffy was alone as the thing continued to walk through the doors and head towards her, sword firmly in its hand. Buffy was so tired... she was tired of fighting... she was tired of going through this life alone... she was tired of the way her life kept turning out...

Buffy rolled over slowly, pain radiating with every movement of her body. Buffy looked up at the thing that had taken her body while she gasped desperately for air.

The students were all afraid of what was going on... there seemed to be two different professors and they couldn't tell them apart. Was it a repeat of last year? One of them was laying on the floor, obviously very beaten while the other one kept coming at her with a sword in her hand! She was their DADA professor and she couldn't even protect herself! Or could she? Was she going to kill her? Who would she kill next? Why wasn't she moving?

The professors were having equal difficulty with what they were seeing. Dumbledore might have believed that one of them was the real Sarah Fox except all the sources said that Sarah Fox didn't exist, but now there were two of them! He figured the best thing to do would be to stun both of them and then go from there. He didn't expect his spells to be useless against the one and he didn't want to leave one defenseless. But how could he help her?

"You're pathetic aren't you?" the thing asked, looming over her. "No friends... no hope... no love... no weapons... only death. You should've died a long time ago and saved everyone all the trouble you've caused."

Buffy could feel the same rage that she had used to beat Angelus and the First rise up in her. "Don't you people ever learn?" she said from her position on the ground. Suddenly, she kicked with all her might at the knees of the double, wincing slightly at the crunching sound that could be heard; she then kicking the sword out of its hands and into the air. Flipping up, Buffy stood above the creature that was on its knees in pain and reached for the sword as it fell perfectly into her hands. "Taunting me only pisses me off."

She lifted her arm back to give herself the momentum to chop off the creature's head when it unexpectedly changed into something different. The blonde hair shrank and was replaced with messy black hair, the green eyes changed to brown, and a familiar person was now standing in front of Buffy.

"James?" she asked, lowering her weapon to the ground in astonishment.

"What are you waiting for?" the 17 year old James spat. "You've killed me once, you can do it again."

"No," Buffy said, wide eyes filling with tears. "I didn't..."

"You killed me. You killed Lily. You might as well have killed Harry. And Sirius. And Remus. It's all your fault."

"No, James, I didn't..." Buffy tried to say, tried to deny what she believed in her own heart.

"I wish you'd never been born!" James said with the most furious eyes Buffy had ever seen.

"RIDDIKULUS!" a voice bellowed from the front hall, startling everyone and causing the figure of James to disappear suddenly. Buffy was too shocked to move and her sword dropped listlessly to the floor as she raised her eyes to look at her savior.

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The effects of the stunning spell had finally worn off and Harry had quickly gotten up to see what had happened with the two professors. Unable to find them in the office, or out of the office, he had continued his search for the map, knowing it would tell him where they went.

He had finally found it on one of the shelves in the closet, and he had quickly whispered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Scouring the map, he had quickly located a surprising dot... the one he had been trying to get the map for in the first place.

Elizabeth Potter.

The shocking thing was that there was another dot next to it labeled Elizabeth Potter as well. 'The boggart must have found another victim!' Harry thought, the effects of Willow's spell making him unable to put the facts together correctly. 'The boggarts attacking her now!' With renewed energy, Harry tore down the hall, following he paths that would lead him to the great hall. Stuffing the map back in his pocket, he was just in time to see a surprising scene.

The boggart had left Elizabeth Potter alone and was back to attacking Professor Fox. He was surprised to see that the boggart had apparently turned into him, but upon closer observation (the taller and older figure), Harry realized it was his father. 'Why is Professor Fox afraid of my dad?' Harry thought.

He didn't waste any more time with pointless thoughts and yelled the spell that was sure to get rid of boggarts. No matter how much he wanted to stay with his dad, wanted to see his dad, Harry knew he didn't want to see him as a boggart, an image that might corrupt any thoughts he had of his father.

Now where did Elizabeth Potter go?

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"Sirius!" Remus whispered fiercely as he ran into the dog that had been running through the halls, chasing dozens of scents. "What are you doing?"

Sirius transformed, not caring about the problems that might be caused by his appearance. "I was right!" he said excitedly, pulling out the picture to show Remus and Moody. "She's alive! She's alive and she's here at Hogwarts! It was just like my dream!"

"Where did you get this?" Remus asked, holding the photograph, confused.

"On her bedside dresser. She left it there. It's proof! She's at Hogwarts somewhere, I know it!" Sirius shouted.

"Sirius!" Remus said. "You're still a wanted criminal! Keep your voice down. You're not even supposed to be here! You were supposed to wait in the room!"

"I know but I had to find her! I knew I was right!" Sirius protested.

"Well what are you going to do when you get caught by Sarah Fox?" Remus said, his frustration for his friend overshadowing any other happy feeling he got from the possibility of Buffy being alive.

"She looks a little like Sarah Fox, doesn't she?" Moody asked, examining the old photo, shrugging as he gave it back to Remus.

"I've never seen Sarah Fox before," Sirius said, brushing aside any thoughts that that statement brought up. "Remus, we have to find Buffy."

"This is my picture," Remus said suddenly.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"This is my picture. It was in my old house..." Remus said, trailing off in realization.

"The old house that someone broke into?" Sirius asked, his train of thought matching with Remus'. At Remus' nod, he continued in a triumphant voice. "See! More proof! She's obviously been looking for us!"

"I saw her die," Moody protested. "That can't be her."

"But it is! I know it!" Sirius said. "There must be some mistake! Maybe you were put under a spell; made to see something that didn't really happen."

Remus turned to Moody thoughtfully. "If Buffy's alive, you'd be the only one to know. None of this fits with your story."

"I can't be under a spell," Moody said. "Not for this many years."

"And you can't be taken hostage and stored in your own trunk for a year, either," Sirius said. "Oh, wait, that did happen."

With a growl at Sirius, Moody consented. "Maybe I am under a spell. If so, take it off immediately."

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The Great Hall was silent as everyone contemplated what had just happened. Buffy still hadn't moved, except to acknowledge that Harry had indeed been the one to save her. The students didn't move either; no one wanted to be the one that broke the tense silence.

Everyone had figured out that their DADA professor had been fighting a boggart, but what they didn't understand was why she was afraid of herself and why she was afraid of Harry Potter, or James Potter, depending on if the person knew enough to recognize the difference.

Harry was the one who started to move towards his professor, more to get to his friends than to get to her, whom he still didn't trust. He couldn't get any answers from her if she was dead, could he?

Harry bypassed her with a look and continued to his friends, who were concerned about his safety, seeing as how they knew he was waiting for Professor Fox. He was incredibly late to dinner.

Before a word could be said, however, people came bursting through the doors, surrounding Professor Fox. Aurors. A lot of Aurors. All with their wands raised and pointed at her.

And then Fudge and Umbridge entered, both wearing smug grins and looking way too happy and proud.

"You are under arrest," Fudge started. "For the impersonation of a Ministry official and for magically controlling the Minister of Magic."

Buffy hadn't moved as the guards had rushed in. She hadn't moved as they all lifted their wands at her. She hadn't moved as Fudge and Umbridge walked into the room, but she lifted her head at the sound of his voice.

"You," she spat, her eyes resting on the one person whose fault all of this was. None of this would have happened if Fudge had not ordered her dead. "This is all your fault."

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Note from Dur'id the Druid:

And this sadly is all Malli wrote before her fatal car accident. I hope you enjoyed the reposting of her work, and will later read my attempt to continue her truly excellent story, which I will publish as a seprate piece. I hope I can continue it to the standard to which she set, she has inspired me to attempt writeing again!

Otherwise, crystalcheyenne is gathering other authors' attempts to continue this and posting them at (FFnet isn't allowing me to post the web address. Look in my author Bio). Thank you for reading!


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